Hawke

It could have been so beautiful.

In the vial: Something fruity? Almost like punch.

Wet: The fruit becomes almost soft enough to be floral. There are no particular notes I can detect. This should be interesting.

Drydown(~10 mins): There's definitely a cherry note in here. I thought I might have psyched myself out because of the color, but I'm sure now. It wafts nicely. There's also a cooler undernote, maybe a mint, maybe a sharp wood. And a flower of some sort. This is already complex.

Dry(~30 mins): Whoa. Cue the sweetness. I don't know the name of whatever it is that makes this candy like, but man is it strong. I think I'm beginning to pick out a spice -- or something spicier than the sweet anyway, but man. It smells sticky. Don't know if this is quite me. I'll give it some more curing time.

(~90 mins): Ninety minutes later, this is very subtle and comfortably spicy. The sweetness is gone and I like it much better. I think I'll have to try it again before deciding whether to keep or swap.

(~3 hours): And the mind changes again. Someone earlier mentioned that this fades in and out, and it does. The sticky sweet is back. This has the potential to be lovely on someone else. It does not work on me.

In the vial: Spicey bananas.

Wet: Smells like fall, or October anyway. A muted spiced apple, maybe a floral over top. It's a note that I think I recognize, but can't name.

Drydown: Honey. Is it honeysuckle I'm smelling? Whatever it is, it's making my mouth water, sweetening up the apple. Repeated sniffing makes my skin tingle which is interesting. Fun, but unexpected.

Dry: The cinnamon sharpened up a bit but it stll reminds me pleasantly of apple cider. Didn't keep me focused on my novel but it did take me back to the handcrafts I do. Yay!

It had to happen. A scent I can't wear. Such a pity.

In the vial: Something faintly floral and a whiff of ... strawberry?

Wet: No, the fruit is gone. Instead, a hint of powder. Uhoh, this reminds me of the White Diamond after-bath powder my mother used to wear. I almost want to call this talc and carnation. This may be too fluffy for me.

Drydown: More powder and rose now? Something's giving me a headache anyway.

Dry: Oh yes. Lots of rose. I'm not a roses sort of person, especially not with the powdery base underneath. This might be nice for someone more feminine or someone older. For me? So very much not. It's actually turning my stomach a little. This one must be swapped.

Edit: Four hours or so later, the spot I tried to wash off (this scent sticks to me, too) now smells of a sort of herby floral. No hint of the rose. If I could cut to this scent right away, I'd wear it. Unfortunately the powdery rose middle stage kills it for me.

Doing an early morning test for a change.

In the vial: Spicey flowers. No idea what sort of flowers, but there was definitely something floral hiding under the initial bite.

Wet: I think my skin likes to amp up the spice in anything right away. Maybe why I like it so much. This went so 'hot' it almost stung my nose.

Drydown: The floral, whatever it is, is a definite presence now, not hiding under the spice anymore. There's still enough oomph there to kick me in the sinuses, though. Will be interesting to see what this turns into.

Hm. Fizzy. Now that I've read through the other reviews, maybe this is what they mean by feeling light headed? It feels fizzy to me, like inhaling over a glass of soda, and you get the carbonation bubbles up your nose? The almost-painful edge on the spice is gone now. My nose is glad about this.

In the vial: Coconut, like suntan oil. Maybe rum.

Wet: Oh yes, coconut. There's something else here, vaguely foody. Sweet. Can we tell that I am not a scent-identifying expert?

Drydown: There's some underlying spiciness that I can't identify. I like it. Also have no name for the softer scent that muffles it, but I find myself wanting it to get out of the way. Oh! No, it's vanilla! But a warm vanilla. You'd think that I'd have picked up on that note right away.

Dry: This fades on me very quickly. Nose-to-wrist, it's still quite nice and I get whiffs of it, but it's not all that long lasting. I like vanilla, but I sort of want the spice to stand out more. Might be worth keeping an imp around.

Edited: By the time I'd gone to bed, eight hours or so after applying, this had blossomed into a much warmer, stronger vanilla with my beloved spice beneath it. I'm much happier.

ADDED 9/3/08:

Extreme almond in the imp with a hint of spices underneath.

Very sweet and thick smelling, wet on the skin. It rises up from my wrists like palpable heat waves, but doesn't burn. There's something about the wafting scent that evokes curling pages in a paperback, or maybe even an old hardback. A dusty note. Not objectionable, just present.

As it continues to warm, a floral note comes out of hiding, faint for now. It fades *very* quickly into not much of anything. Now and then I get a whiff of something that's almost like honey. The dusty note peeps out here and there, as does that hint of a floral, and they blend into something like ...paste. But it's pretty much a non-scent within about ten minutes, which is surprising and sad given it's very strong start.

Purchased from a fellow forum-goer.

In the vial: Something spicy under flowers.

Wet: Definitely some spice in there, almost smells like ginger. Buttery ginger.

Drydown: Gingersnaps, only not quite that sharp. This is definitely a warm scent. My skin feels warm, but it's not turning red so I don't think it's a reaction. I don't mind the warmth at all. It would be fantastic in cooler weather.

Dry: Now it's picked up a fruity note, like apple cider? Very faint. Also a whiff of the fir, finally, the bite that kicks in the second after you inhale. Is it vetiver that gives the dry edge? Whatever it is, it's nice.

Overall: I'm not sure this is really a summer scent, but for fall, absolutely. Not that this apparently matters to my brain, as I'd reach for this easily.

In the vial: Whoa, sharp! What *is* that? Very sharp.

Wet: Still sharp. (I assume, after the fact, that this is the ozone/pre-lightning smell people refer to.) Is that lemon?

Drydown: Okay, definitely something citrusy, and almost a Drakkar-like smell. Sharper, though, not as sweet. It's definitely a masculine scent.

Dry: Thunderbird has softened quite a bit. I can smell a "minty" bottom note, which must be the sage someone else has mentioned. The top note is sort of a mix between soft florals and a soft citrus. I understand the dryer sheet references people are making, but the slightly-soapy scent doesn't really bother me.

Final: Seems to be staying strong. I like this a lot, once it settles down.