rinster

Another holdout, here. I didn't try this until just recently thinking it couldn't possibly live up to the hype and I would be disappointed. Well, consider me one of the fawning fandom.

He's an impeccably turned out gentleman dandy, but when you get close you realize there's something a bit off, like he has two different colored eyes. The scent stays very true and lasts for ages. Yes, it's worthy of the hype!

On me this is very dark and assertive but I like it! I'm getting mostly opium, tobacco and leather. Not getting rose or jasmine, thankfully! It's very complex and I agree that it's kind of masculine--it kicks a$$!

I've been wanting to try this for a long time and it miraculoulsy made it into an order as a frimp! In the imp and while wet there's a bit of a tussle as the notes settle down, but when they do it's a soft orange jasmine on me. No cinnamon or rose that I can detect. I really like this!

So pretty! It has some component in common with Harp of Cnoc but I can't put my finger on it. It's a lovely soft creamy floral that lasts forever on me.

This is such a homey, cozy delicious scent. It's not heavy or dense, but kind of reminds me of caramel corn sprinkled with cinnamon (not that I've had it, but that's what it smells like to me )

I may have been unduly influenced by ladyflash's review, but when I sniff this I totally get the visual she portrays. I'm even seeing the crazy carpet pattern that all casinos have to prevent you from looking at the floor and keep your eyes on the tables and slots.

Honestly, I wasn't crazy about this wet, although it's completely spot on to the description. I'm getting stale wine and cigarette smoke and remnants of cake.

Later, it melds together nicely which is great because although a 3D olfactory image of Vegas like this is astounding, I'm not sure I feel comfortable wearing it!

Based on initial reviews, I was expecting this to be over the top funky patch, but it's much smoother than I would have thought (or other reviewers have a more sensitive nose than mine, which is entirely possible!)

With Banshee Beat, it was pretty easy to identify all the components (especially the hemp, which went a bit astringent on me while wet). Right now I can't pick out the vanilla, tobacco or cocoa per se, but I know it's contributing to the overall effect because it's definitely not a patchouli single note. If this is a dirty hippy, it's a very well bred, clean cut, well spoken one!

Bumping to show some love for Czernobog. I think this was a frimp from my very first order and I finally got around to putting in a bottle order recently. Looking at the early reviews, I would have never thought in a million years it would be this good. Considering the notes I'm picking up, I would have never thought I'd like it either, but it works! Somehow limey, piney cola becomes this cuddly velvety darkness that is wonderfully reassuring. Death apparently has a softer side.

This is my first 13 bottle I sprang for unsniffed, too! The cocoa flits across the stage so quickly that if you blink, you miss it. I'm getting a sweet, powdery lemon and rose that reminds me a bit of a recipe for Turkish Delight. The decants I've had of other 13s have been darkly spiced chocolate, but this is NOTHING like those. This has no chocolate to speak of and it's very light and sweet.

I've only had this on about 10 minutes, so it will be interesting to see what happens an hour or two into it.

Edit for additional observations: I'm wearing it again today and am noticing more now that it's had a chance to rest. Today I'm getting creamy florals with a hint of citrus over a rich warm base of patch. This is beautiful!

Ditto what Absinthetics said. It's got a slightly aussie hair product vibe from the grape/wine note, but it's very subdued. I'm not getting the sense of pounding hooves and fire at all. This strikes me as a very laid back, informal sexy guy scent but I'll defintely wear it, too.

My initial reaction was how comforting and protective this smells. I got a red musk vibe and it kind of reminded me of Sheherazade. After reading the reviews, I can definitely see how there might be dragon's blood, too.

The first thing I noticed out of the bottle and wet on my skin was the bourbon vanilla, which I love. It reminded me a bit of Gypsy Moth. After a few minutes the mint came out, but I'm not getting the heavy lemon or absinthe some other folks have. I'm testing this straight out of the mailbox, so maybe these will come out after they've had a chance to rest.

This is a very delicate, feminine scent that will be great for warm weather. The primary note for me is pear, but I wish I'd get more incense, tiare and coconut. I'll try it again in a few days.

This was frimped to me by the lovely Theasylph. (THANK YOU!) I've seen in the reviews and swaps this had received much love, so I thought I'd never get to try it.

When I first tried it without looking up the notes, I thought it was beautiful and familiar, though I couldn't place it. Duh! It's exactly what I'd expect the love child of Snake Oil and O to be. Gah! Why do I have to fall in love with the rare and hard to get? Maybe I'll try layering my O and Snake Oil for the same effect.

I had high hopes for this one, but the opoponax elbowed everybody out of the way. The magnolia and currant got pissed off and left the room. On drydown, the currant came back a bit, but the party was over and this ended up being very faint on me.

Although this doesn't have vetiver, on me it's reminiscent of the Haitian type voodoo blends - sharp and medicinal. For some reason, the labbies tend to frimp me VERY heavily with voodoo scents(they must know something I don't), but every time I try one it becomes an independent evil entity on my skin. Oh well.

Even though this I thought this had the most potential to be meh, it's one of my two favorites in the vampire line. This is an old cemetary on a slightly overcast day in early spring. It's slightly out of focus and quite mysterious.

This one is prettier in the bottle than on my skin (usually it's the other way around). The rose petals and frankincense definitely remind me of Rose Cross. On my skin, it's soapsville.

I probably shouldn't pre-read the reviews before I test because they tend to affect my perceptions, but I gotta agree with all the folks that called this one masculine cologne. It is unisex and actually not bad, but not the scholarly grail I had hoped for.

Sexy as hell. This time, patchouli and vetiver actually like me! I'm not getting lavender, which is fine. I am getting vanilla, musk, and amber which reminds me of Ecstasy of Passion, but with a snake bite.

This is a slow starter! When I first put in on, I didn't smell anything.

Waited. Sniffed. Waited. Sniffed. Pouted. Sniffed. Sighed.

Ah! Finally it bloomed into a sugary vanilla. I'm missing the cardamom, but I'm hoping it will develop with age. Morocco didn't knock my socks off at first either, but the best relationships take time. I'll be patient.

Eep!

Count me in with the other posters who suffer from the Moriarty Menthol syndrome. In the bottle I smell patchouli and fruit, but on my skin it's pure Carm-ex. Help! Can anyone who has experienced this tell me if this goes away with aging? (The bottle, not me.)

This is my misfortune, indeed!

I love my Chaos Amber 191! It has a light fruitiness--possibly plum or currants? The amber grounds it from being overly sweet, which is good because I'm not fond of strongly fruity scents. I can't tell if anything else is going on here, but it's a very well balanced, beautful scent. I'd never tried a Chaos before as the reviews seem to be hit or miss, but I'm so glad I took the chance!

Update - On drydown, this reminds me of an ambery, subdued version of Vice. Orange, chocolate, and amber? This seems to go against the rules of man and nature, but cripes it's GOOD!

Although cedar isn't listed as a note, this really reminds me of the inside of my grandmother's hope chest!

Wow, this is incredibly dark and rich! It reminds me of Sugar Moon 2008 (without the fruit) or Miskatonic U (without the coffee). It has a strong throw, too.