Ina Garten Davita

First Impression: Sweet woods polished glossy and deep with real lemon oil.

 

Second Impression: This scent is very much a contradiction. It's darkness yet light, calming yet uplifting, bracing yet smooth.

 

Final Analysis: While I like the scent, I just don't feel like it smells all that great on me. I will have to try as a room scent and see.

First Impression: Oh lovely night blooms, sweet and glowing.

 

Second Impression: This isn't just Midnight, it's Midnight in the garden of good and evil. This is a night walk in Savannah in the heat of summer.

 

Final Analysis: I'm in love, it takes me back to the long, languid weekend Rob and I spent in Savannah in July.

First Impression: Hmm, is that anise seed?

 

Second Impression: Smells just like Soft Scrub cleanser. Not what one wishes to smell like.

 

Final Analysis: This is the first scent that I actually cringed at. Ugh.

This did not work with my at all. Off to swap with you.

First Impression: Pure of heart, white and pink sorrow.

 

Second Impression: This is sweet, pure and innocent. A soft pink floral that quietly radiates off the skin.

 

Final Analysis: Another beautifully blended floral. Perhaps not a favorite, but a pretty girly scent for spring and summer.

First Impression: It's cocoa out of the bottle. Not in the way of chocolate but like creamy soft cocoa butter.

 

Second Impression: The cocoa butter scent fades shortly after Kali dries leaving a trail of dark, sweet blossoms drizzled with red wine and a tiny drop of honey.

 

Final Analysis: I wish the cocoa butter stayed longer. I'm not in love with this scent, it doesn't evoke any images from me like most of the others do. It's nice and I may keep and use the imp or may put it up for swaps.

First Impression: Barely perceptable in the bottle.

 

Second Impression: On my skin this is pure root beer. The best quality kind. I don't get any impressions of deep dry spices. Just lovely sweet root beer. But is it so very soft I have to struggle to smell it.

 

Final Analysis: I'll keep the imp and try it in my scent locket (thanks amberbella) because my skin seemed so slurp this up and not let go of the fragrance. After reading all of the wonderful reviews, I'm a bit disappointed.

 

ADDED Sept. 12:

 

Old Morocco Revisited: I am really impressed by the staying power of the scent. It's much stronger and longer lasting then my initial impressions led me to believe. It's quickly gaining on my top three.

This is one of Beth's most beautiful creations.

First Impression: Chokingly strong violets. I usually keep an open mind and try not to anticipate what's going to be in the bottle, but I had scent-visions of this and it smells nothing like I thought it would.

 

Second Impression: Still violets, strong violets. Not until a long drydown do I sense a hint of clove. The violets seemed to have choked out the other lovely notes.

 

Final Analysis: Of the handful of violet scents I've tried Veil is the only one I like, because the violets ease off during dry down and allow the other notes to bloom. I had high hopes for this one so I will give it one more go before I decide to add to the swap list.

From my new batch...Danube. It's cool and refreshing. Great for this humid weather.

First Impression: The scent of my favorite hand soap captured in a bottle. Reminds me so much of Radox Supersoap Cleansing formula with thyme and tea tree oil. Has an astringent quality about it.

 

Second Impression: Wow, this one really changes and it caught me totally off guard. The dry down on me was SO much like Cerutti 1881 for men (a spicy blend of herbs, patchouli and fragrant woods).

 

Final Analysis: It's amazing how scents can bring back memories. This one brought up some very painful ones for me along with that infinite feeling of heartbreak, when you think it will never mend. I don't know if I'll want to open this imp again. If I do it will be bittersweet torture.

First Impression: A sinister smoky, masculine version of O.

 

Second Impression: O's sadistic male twin...a leather-clad master of the chamber ready for action oozing smoke, booze, amber and musk with a touch of sweetness perhaps to catch his waiting slave off guard.

 

Final Analysis: I didn't think it got more sexual than O, but this is. I want my husband to wear this, I've driven myself wild with it tonight. I can't wait until he returns.

This was one of the lovely throw ins from the lab.

 

First Impression: Cool, refreshingly so.

 

Second Impression: White water rafting down an icy cold river of freshly squeezed grapefruit juice and landing in a pool of deep blue water full of white blossoms floating around.

 

Final Analysis: This is very uplifting and delightful and not "me" at all. But I do keep sniffing at my wrist trying to decide whether to keep it or not. It's a very happy, bubbly scent.

First Impression: I adore dragon's blood and my nose is fairly sensitive to it. I definitely pick it out first with lillies and lilac bringing up the rear.

 

Second Impression: The dragon's blood is fleeting, gone not long after the oil has dried on my skin. Sweet lily of the valley and lilac blooming beautfully.

 

Final Analysis: What's not to love? It's the most girly and innocent of the dragon's blood blends and Beth's lily of the valley note is splendid!

First Impression: A big lavender punch in the face.

 

Second Impression: Why can I only smell lavender when there are three other lovely notes blended here???

 

Final Analysis: It took hours of drydown time for the lavender to pick up and leave. What was left was very similar to Veil. I adore Veil, but I don't think I can bear the lavender trail to get to it.

First Impression: Oh, it smells just like fresh cypress, like standing in a forest full of them on a crisp clear day.

 

Second Impression: Clean, woodsy and fresh. Just lovely.

 

Final Analysis: The longer it wears the warmer it becomes and the nuttiness peeks through. I love the name but I the scent doesn't convey death to me. It's too fresh smelling for that.

First Impression: An exquisite beauty with a dark, dark secret.

 

Second Impression: It immediately called to mind the excellently dark song Possum Kingdom by the Toadies (edited for length)

 

Make up your mind

Decide to walk with me

Around the lake tonight

By my side

I'm not gonna lie

I'll not be a gentleman

Behind the boathouse

I'll show you my dark secret

 

I'm not gonna lie

I want you for mine

My blushing bride

My lover, be my lover, yeah...

 

Don't be afraid

I didn't mean to scare you

So help me, Jesus

 

I can promise you

You'll stay as beautiful

With dark hair

And soft skin...forever

Forever

 

Make up your mind

And I'll promise you

I will treat you well

My sweet angel

So help me, Jesus

 

Give it up to me

Do you wanna be

My angel?

So help me!

 

Be my angel

Do you wanna die?

I promise you

I will treat you well

My sweet angel

So help me, Jesus

 

Final Analysis: Masterfully blended, the combination speaks to me, haunts me. The amber and musk do wonders to keep the roses from being sweet, girly or old lady-ish. I can't stop smelling it or get the images in evokes out of my head.

First Impression: Sweet potent elixir, my favorite kind. A bit of cinnamon, a bit of almond and a bit of cherry. Yes, I can understand the Coke references or even Cherry Coke.

 

Second Impression: Very similar to Eclipse and Inferno, but with a deeper floral touch underneath. This one keep getting deeper and warmer the longer it wears.

 

Final Analysis: I'm thrilled I finally got to sample the Lab's namesake scent. It certainly does justice. It's deep, spicy-sweet, warming and sexy. This one has great throw. Careful application is warranted for summer but in cool months a good slather would keep me feeling warm and cozy. Wonderfully made.

First Impression: A bit of lotus but very faint smell out of the bottle.

 

Second Impression: Still faint even on the skin. Odd, BPAL usually blooms so much once I apply them, but this one isn't doing anything. Just a bland almost diluted lotus scent.

 

Final Analysis: Quite disappointed in my skin with this scent. It fizzled out before it got started. Can't win them all.

First Impression: Weeds, definitely weeds. I haven't ever been to a truck stop that smelled this pleasant.

 

Second Impression: The dandelion rules this scent. It brings me back to when my sister and I would pick them from the yard and bring them to mother because we thought they were flowers.

 

Final Analysis: The tobacco and hemp appear after a time. I don't care for the scent of this on my skin. The weeds are a bit too sharp for me.

First Impression: I love sandalwood. So rich and golden.

 

Second Impression: Smells very much like a girly version of Cathedral. A gothic church after mass that is filled with roses for a wedding later that day.

 

Final Analysis: Resinous scents work very well with my skin and this is no exception. The roses keep this one from being too serious. Lasts much longer than Cathedral much to my joy!

I wasn't planning on reviewing this now as I didn't have a chance to wear it properly. But I was randomly sniffing some of the new imps and when I opened this one quite a bit got on my fingers so I had the chance to contemplate it further.

 

First Impression: Sweet. I love it already.

 

Second Impression: Blood red candy apples rolled in vanilla sugar crystals. Smells like Delirium only deeper, sweeter.

 

Final Analysis: I think Desire is a child born of a union between Delirium and Snake Oil. The musk and patchouli add mystery and sexuality to such sweetness. Another addictive scent. I can't get enough.

I love Bat's Blood. To me it's very similar to Love Me and Voodoo.

First Impression: In the bottle I smell cherry cordials, those lovely dark chocolate covered cherries with the gooey center.

Second Impression: On my skin this is a gorgeous bowl of plump, chewy dried fruits and spiced almonds. No flowers here.

Final Analysis: I have come to love the almondy scents and this is no exception. It does not last long, unfortunately, but I don't mind dabbing on a bit more as it fades.

I like paypal. I want Beth to have as much of a profit from my orders as possible. It's easy and I've never had a problem with it. I've been a paypal customer since 1999. With that much history I have a good comfort level with them.

First Impression: Gentle mint with the lightest hit of sweet floral.

 

Second Impression: The mint does not last on the skin and the ambergris and moss make a wonderful bouquet.

 

Final Analysis: Reading the notes I had no idea how beautiful this would smell on my skin. In New England when in the hot and humid summer and the weather is very volatile, a thunder and lightening storm comes with a heavy, heavy rain. Cathode is the air after the rain, light and sweet, crisp, cool and clean.

First Impression: Mint and menthol, clearing my sinuses like that feeling you get when you first apply Vick's Vaporub.

 

Second Impression: That menthol scent lingers a long while as sharp aquatic notes start to poke through.

 

Final Analysis: I had high hopes for this since champagne notes were listed. Utter disappointment that I can't smell it. I don't care for the cold, sharp aquatic notes. This does not smell like me but might make a nice winter room scent when one has a head cold.