rinster

Many thanks to Beth and the lab for giving us these cool magical lagniappes!

 

Such an evocative scent, the image that popped into my mind was our brass section in band: shiny gold polished metal. An appropriate metaphor for drawing wealth!

I LOVE the name and all the notes looked marvelous with the exception of vetiver. So, of course, guess what I'm smelling the most right off the bat?

 

However, after about 15 minutes the other notes are coming out to play. I'm not smelling them individually, but they are making the overall effect softer and more multidimensional than a one note vetiver. If this was a color, it would be an inky velvety matte black. It kind of reminds me of a distant cousin to Raven Moon, maybe? I'm looking forward to what this does as it ages.

I got a chance to try decants of '12 and '13 this year via swaps, and decided this will be a mandatory bottle this year for sure!

This one scared me at first. It started off as a slightly soapy fruit! Like other reviewers mentioned, as it wore it became a bit like fizzy grape soda, but softer and not as sweet. If you don't care for it initially, hang on for the dry down before you make up your mind.

I'm so happy this isn't too heavy on the pine, it's a harmonious mélange of pine, mint, and berries. So cheerful!

I crave mint in summer, and Humpback Whale is one of my faves. It's cool and breezy without being chilly or overly aquatic. Next runner up is Knockout Drops: cool lemon meringue absinthe with rich white chocolate.

 

Honorable mentions go to Bess (herbally mint), Incubus (masculine caramelly mint), and Utrennyaya (dc'd, frosty violets).

Halloween Las Vegas, baby!

 

ETA: this would make a gorgeous perfume oil or bath oil!!!

 

I think this has the same notes as the Black Rose perfume in Rappaccini's Garden, no?

Despite shark week handicapping my fume testing, this is exactly what I remember from my 2012 decant. The leaves get along with the apples and the fir coexists with the pumpkins in a peaceful and humble state of tranquility. No notes chest thumping, fist pumping or displaying frenzied bravado here. We all just get along for once. Ahhh.

I thought Snakes in the PP was a bit spicy, but this this the overlord of spicy on me. Yas gots to love the cinnamon for this one.

I'm going to have to try this again post-shark week because it is all spice all the time. Where are you, Snake?

I first sniffed this at C2E2 and it reminded me of Reese's Peanut butter cups. The awesome Mellifluous frimped me a sniffie so I'm able to test it sans the nasal overload I experienced in Chicago.

 

At first this reminds me of an oily Nutella, but all nut fragrances read a little oily on my skin. (Chestnuts do this, too.) After a few minutes the creamy patch comes out and it reminds me a little of Banshee Beat without the hemp, but not quite as syrupy sweet. As some reviewers mentioned above, some kinds of patch come as pencil shavings to me too, but this one behaves nicely.

This is such a lovely, gentle scent. It's not a foody honey, nor overly sweet or musky. I used a little in a homemade scrub of sugar with a bit of salt. The scent stayed very close to my skin, but had good staying power.

I moved to a new team at work recently and was hoping this would help me project an approachable, friendly impression. I'm not sure if it's the effect of the blend on others or its effect on me and how I relate to others, but I have noticed positive results. One of our IT architects who's usually all business was actually very friendly and chatty. I'd like it for the scent alone, but it does seem to help my work interactions feel more friendly and easy going.

Love this! It starts off as a sweet floraled honey and dries down to a honeyed floral, if that makes sense! The gardenia and ginger are present, but complement rather than overpower the honey. I don't notice the jasmine at all, which is fine with me. This smells delicious and edible and perfect for spring.

This is a dry, red, parched earth kind of scent. No funky moist rootiness or menthol or unwashed hippies here. It's very different from the patches in Mme Moriarty, Banshee Beat, or Occupy Wall Street. This almost feels like the dust that would cling to your feet as you walked through an ancient town in the middle east. Not sure it's "me", but I'll have to test some more.

This was a surprise love for me. I'm not a fan of aquatics and am usually indifferent to ambergris, but I crave mint scents for summer so I tried it. Like the previous reviews say, the mint is very powerful in the beginning, which has been refreshing in our already muggy humid weather. As it dissipates, I get a very gentle breezy scent that is nothing like the dreaded "dryer sheets" syndrome I've had with aquatics. In the month or I've had it, it's become even more nicely melded and gorgeous.

I think I found my rosey grail! I've been looking a long time for a rose that doesn't go powdery or smell like dried rose petals. Blood Rose is nice, but a little too grapey. Two, Five and Seven, is very pretty, but a little greener than I wanted. The oud and plum give this blend just the right amount of body and jammieness I was looking for. I bought this at C2E2 and Beth said this was one of her favorite rose blends, so I was definitely sold.

In another thread I saw this scent referred to as an "old lady scent", but I don't get that at all. It's got a sophisticated velvety darkness that gives a nod to classic perfumes by Guerlain and Chanel, but I personally find this prettier. It's a little melancholy and cerebral, but that's ok because not everyone is in fizzy foody fruity floral candy mood all the time (or ever).

 

Re-reading this review, I realize I sound like a crabby old lady, so maybe it is an old lady scent after all!

My experience was more like Muskimeg's than Atrous' as it is a sun warmed meadow to me. Not fresh or cool with morning dew, but a late spring meadow around midday when the air is getting hot and there are motes of pollen in the air. (I'm not allergic, so my pleasant connotation may not be shared by everyone!) I'm not getting any booze, but the tobacco and hemp may be translating as green weediness. I LOVE this so much and am glad I got it as a frimp. Short list for a bottle.

I took the kids and a couple of their friends down to the St. Paddy's parade. It was fuhREEZN, but Harp of Cnoc I'Chosgair makes it seem like spring can't be that far off.

The prominent note for me is the sandalwood with a hint of oudh and mint in the background. I'm not getting any plumb at all, which is sad because that is what drew me to this blend. I'm happy it's working for other folks, but it's not happening for me this time. Off to a better home wit' ye.

I really like this one, but also found it to be rather fleeting. I'm a sucker for cherry scents, but the wood provides a perfect counterpoint and keeps it from going too sweet. I'm hoping some aging will make it stick around because I'm definitely keeping the imp.

I've been loving all the "Bloods" I've tried so far--Blood, Blood Amber, Blood Rose, Blood Kiss, but unfortunately the blood stops here.

 

Orris smells like baby wipes on me, and bloody baby wipes are just a bit disturbing.

Hooray for frimps; I wouldn't have thought to order this. I agree with the poster above - it's dirty vanillic gardenia. Love it!

If this scent could talk, it would scream "I AM THE GOD OF HELL FIRE!". Interesting, but difficult for me to wear.