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When I first applied this, I got a whiff of the sweet men's cologne and liked it a lot. But then I sniffed closer and got the "oh crap" feeling in the pit of my stomach. My skin doesn't like metal notes, but I do like scents that are unisex or classically masculine, so it was a bit of a toss-up for me on this one. When I sniff deeply, I get almost mentholated metal, along with a hint of the leather (which I love) and the cologne (which I like). It's strange. Dry, I get more leather and more metal. It's...it's actually okay so far, but I don't know if I like it. The metal note is very strong, but it hasn't turned into hair dye on me yet, so there is that. Pretty good throw, so slathering isn't really necessary. I just let me co-worker sniff, and she says it's the least favorite of all of the scents she's ever smelled on me (which, to be fair, is no more than 10 total). She didn't like the metal note. I might have to try this again sometime, but otherwise I think I'll pass it on for someone else to try.

Oh, I like this! Wet, I get creamy coconut and something dry and slightly spicy. I kind of slathered because it seems very light on my skin and I felt like my skin was eating it. As it dries I get pretty much the same thing. Mostly sweet coconut, but it's light and dry. It's not sickly sweet, which is nice because I like coconut but don't like anything that smells absurdly fake or foodie. It is slightly foodie, but I don't smell like a cupcake, so I like it. Not getting any noticeable anise/licorice. Also, this is light when I go in to sniff, but then sometimes I get a little whiff of coconut while I'm moving around. So it's got a nice throw, but it's just subtle. I let my co-worker smell this on me, and she had the best reaction of anything I've asked her to smell on me before. We're both going to try it again tomorrow and see how it compares on our skin, so I'll edit this comment with an update.

Aged decant, don't know how old it is. Wet, this is definitely amber and orange. I was worried that combination would end up smelling like orange candy on me, or that it would turn into syrup, but it hasn't! It is sweet and orange-y, but the other ingredients do a good job of keeping it from smelling like candy. I get the frankincense, which dirties it up a bit and add a smokey quality. Ambergris is still difficult for me to identify, but I get a hint of saltiness in there that must be it. I also get a hint of lilac when I look for it. I can identify all of these notes on their own, but they blend together well and none of them jump out unless I'm looking for them. The strongest notes are definitely the orange, the amber, and then the frankincense. The ambergris seems to be gaining strength as it dries, and it's nice. Oh yeah, definitely getting some saltiness here, and I like it. Overall, this is a resin-y floral orange, definitely unisex. It's not one of those scents that jumps out at me, but I do like it. Not a lot of throw, but I might try slathering it sometime to see what it's like when I don't have to press my nose to my arm. Because I like this scent, but I don't know if I love it enough for a bottle.

This was a pleasant surprise for me! Wet, this is definitely white tea. At first, I'd forgotten the notes and thought it smells like a citrus white tea, but I think the tartness is coming from the hibiscus. It's sweet from the amber, and a bit floral. Dry, this definitely smells like white tea and sweet orange, which is very bright and pretty. Fruit doesn't usually work very well on me, but this mimics the orange nicely. I think this would be pretty for summer. The only thing is that it doesn't have much throw and it fades significantly after about 1/2 an hour. I'll definitely have to slather this one.

Okay, this is a huge disappointment to me. I love leather and musk, and I was hoping this would be bottle-worthy, but it really didn't work on me. Wet, this smells like cheap drugstore perfume or body mist. The musk smells like soapy skin, the leather smells cheap and chemical, and the honey is not helping anything. It's got an artificial, plastic edge to it that I really can't stand, and I blame the musk, which is just really overwhelming on me. As it dries, the leather comes out more, and it smells like the inside of a cheap leather handbag. I think it is the musk making it smell so fake. Completely dry, it smells like mildewed leather. I am not sure why my skin hates this leather/musk combo so much, but this definitely is not working. Sorry, Sara. I wanted to love you! ETA: Dry down is powder. I slathered this too, so the powder throw is strong.

Wet, this is definitely sweet, floral berry/plum. As it dries, I get some smoky incense. I feel like I've smelled this before, but to my unsophisticated nose, the only thing I can really think to compare it to is Lady Una, which is...totally off. I guess all fruity blends smell the same to me, since I don't usually like fruit. All I know if that I'm getting some red fruit, some floral and incense, a lot of sweetness, and something that almost smells like wine. It's pretty, but it's really too sweet for me.

This is really nice. Wet, I get the sage first, with some sweetness from the amber and a bit of spiciness from the clove. It's a tad soapy, but in a clean way, not sharp like detergent. As it dries, a bit of leather comes out. It's such a pretty scent, very herbal and bright, with just the right amount of sweetness. The leather gives it some depth. For notes that seemed like they might be disjointed, these work together really well and complement one one another. I seriously want to keep smelling myself. I smell fresh and warm and slightly spicy-sweet. Unfortunately, this one doesn't have much throw. I was testing The Marquis on the other arm, and when I went back to check on Hunter, she was gone. I think she just got lost since she's so subtle, and my nose was overwhelmed. But this is a great summer scent, so I'm going to test it again later by itself and see if it stands out more.

Yes, this is definitely a wake-you -up scent! Wet, I get a sharp men's aftershave/cologne scent from the mint, eucalyptus, and lime. Dry, I still get that menthol scent, but it's not as sharp. I'm not really getting any leather from this unless I sniff very deeply, and even then it's just a suggestion. I didn't think it had much throw, but then I caught a whiff as I moved my arm. Might be worth applying liberally, though. This is a cool, refreshing scent that would be really nice for summer. Not sure if I'll spring for a bottle, but I'm definitely keeping my imp!

This is definitely a dark scent. Darker than I'm used to wearing, but it really just works. Wet, it is musk, incense, and a bit of sweetness. It's really well blended, and I won't pretend that I can pick out the nuances of each scent, but I know I got some musk, some laudanum, some myrrh, and a lot of incense. It's got a lot of strength, even as it dries. It's a thick, dark, smoky sweet scent. It's not something I would wear to the office! But I will totally wear this when I want something strong and sexy. It's definitely a nighttime scent! Oh, and I didn't notice any star anise.

Wet: Wow, I am definitely getting the vanilla and the sassafras. It smells like a root beer float with vanilla ice cream, and something kind of dry/woodsy/dusty in the background. I don't think it's cedar, so it must be the balsam. Dry: As it dries, I get more of the wood. I think balsam tends to go a bit sour on me, and it is here too. The vanilla root beer is still there, but mostly I'm getting dry woods. Oddly enough, it's reminding me of a couple of the Snakes, which were very dry and musty with the patchouli/Indonesian oils. Cedar and vanilla are usually nice on me, and I liked Stimulating Sassafras Strengthener, so I'm not really sure what's happening here. This might require another test sometime down the road, because I had another scent go straight to wood on me today so I'm thinking maybe my chemistry is off. * Retesting August 2014: Same imp, four years later. Still get the vanilla root beer float upon application, along with the mint-y note that others have described. I think it's actually the sassafras, though? It's not minty, really, but maybe similar to licorice. Something sharp and herbal. The cedar keeps this dry despite the sweetness of the vanilla, and the combination ends up a bit sour on me. I keep smelling myself and I can't decide if I like it or not!

This was primarily a vanilla blend on me. It started out vanilla with a bit of leather and something a bit herbal. As it dried, the carnation came out and added some spiciness to it. At one point I got a little musk, but not much. Overall, it was a warm, slightly spicy, slightly herbal vanilla with a hint of leather. But then then leather faded () and the carnation really started to take over. I really like the carnation-vanilla combo, because carnation with amber tends to turn into cinnamon powder on me, but the vanilla and the carnation stay true here and are really lovely together. It's sweet, spicy, warm, and very pretty. Th only thing I was slightly disappointed in was the leather note, which I'd hoped would be stronger, but that's okay. I might need to experiment with some layering with this one.

Okay, this is good. Like, really good. I knew it would be, and I'm so glad I'm right! When it first goes on, I get berries and honey first. The idea of fruit + anything sweet usually makes me want to scrub something off immediately, but this totally works on me. The berries are sweet, but I think everything behind it is really balancing it out and making it smell delicious. The leather and polished wood are definitely in there, and they come out more as it dries. I don't really get the flowers, but they might be in there, adding more oomph to the blend without me realizing it. This is really well-blended. On me, I don't find it classically masculine, especially with the honey and berries. I mostly got this bottle because I love leather and wood notes, so I'm slightly disappointed that the leather isn't stronger, but that's okay. I have other leather blends where the leather is stronger. But I don't have anything like this. Nanny Ashtoreth is definitely a keeper.

A dizzying eddy of four teas brushed with light herbs and a breath of peony. This starts off a very sweet floral, and as it dries I get a sweet apple/green tea scent. It smells kind of like liquid hand soap. A pretty hand soap, but still hand soap. Overall, it's a bit too sweet for me, but I might try this again later to see if it grows on me.

Snake Oil with blood orange, red apple, lemon peel, plumeria, and gardenia. I really should have known that apples, oranges, and the vanilla from the Snake Oil would not be good on me, but it sounded so yummy and I really wanted to try it. The scent didn't realy morph very much while it was on. Right away, I got very sweet apple-citrus and not much else. It did smell very edible, but it was really too sweet for me to wear. After about 3 hours, I got some of the Snake Oil spiciness, which toned down the sweet fruitiness. It did have good throw throughout. I did a couple of swipes on my wrist and 3 hours later could smell it wafting up at me while I had my hands in my lap. And now it's been 7 hours after applying, and I can still smell it when I sniff my wrists, so it does last a while. Overall, it's too sweet and fruity for me.

I couldn't remember what the notes in this one were, so here are my blind, completely unsophisticated observations. The first few minutes were really strange, because I smelled PEANUTS. Salty, creamy peanuts. That lasted maybe 10 or 15 minutes, and then it faded into an orange-apple smell, with some woods and a bit of floral in the background. It was sweet and slightly spicy, a very fall scent. Sweet, spiced apples and oranges with some woods and floral. I am guessing, looking at the list of notes, that I was probably picking up on the ginger and pepper, which were sweetened by the tonka. The throw was pretty mild, and it didn't last long. 3 hours after applying it, I can still smell it about an inch away, but barely. I like this scent, and I can see wearing it during the fall, but I would definitely have to slather and reapply periodically.

I knew I would love this, and I was right! The vanilla and amber are most prominent, but they're well-blended with the woods. The juniper brightens it a bit, and the pine adds a coolness the overall scent. I really like the combination of the cool pine and the warm amber-vanilla-woods. This is like an inversion of The Illustrated Woman. Where the Illustrated Woman is thick with the cool pine pitch over a thin layer of vanilla-honey, Golden Priapus is a thin layer of pine over a lot of creamy vanilla-amber. I love it. The only thing is that there's a plastic edge to the vanilla, possibly because of the juniper (which tends to smell soapy to me). My imp is lab fresh, so I think this will improve with age.

My first thought when I smelled this wet was that I got roses, but then I looked at the notes and saw rosewood listed instead, so I'm wondering if rosewood smells at all like roses? That's probably a dumb question. Anyway, I got roses/floral and something fruity. After a while, the peach really came out, and it was syrupy, probably in part from the vanilla. Fruits always do this to me. Dry, this was nothing spectacular on me. Syrupy peach, with vanilla and floral in the background. I was really hoping the woods would come out more, but they were nowhere to be smelt.

Weird! At first, this smells grassy and fruity to me, like pears. I'm starting to wondering if I am hallucinating about pears, because something smelled like pears to me yesterday too and there were no pears listed in the ingredients. Anyway, yes, this is a green scent. Still kind of fruity for the first 1/2 hour, but that dies down. After about an hour, I get dry, green grass and a slightly sweet, fruity edge. This is actually pretty. I would not classify it as a classically masculine fragrance, at all, although it seems to be doing different things on my skin than it is on others'. For one, I don't get cologne at all, because if I did I'd be all over that. On me, it's mostly sweet, fruity grass. After an hour, it's actually quite faint, with no throw at all until I get about 2 inches away.

Wow, this is definitely MELON. Cantaloupe, specifically. I don't get the fresh, still-on-the-rind scent that others are getting - it's definitely syrupy and very sweet on me. When I first put it on, my reaction was, "Watermelon Jolly Ranchers!" After a while, I get a bit of mint in there, but it's so deeply buried under the melon that I can't really smell it. I was kind of hoping for more of the mint tea, but overall this is too sweet and syrupy for me.

Wet, I'm getting pear and roses. I don't see pear listed, so I'm guessing this is the sweet lotus blossom pulling something out of the rose or lilies. (Sweet scents + florals tend to turn into some kind of dessert or syrup on me). It's a pretty scent, and I like the rose, but overall it's a bit too sweet and fruity for me.

Wet, this is a slightly dusty honey-wine combo. As it dries, some of the dustiness fades a bit. This reminds me a lot of Fairy Wine and a bit of Lady Una (both of which smell similar to me, except that Lady Una is softer with the vanilla). Mostly Fairy Wine, but perhaps not as a sweet. I think the myrrh is helping with that. I don't know how often I'll wear this, but I think I'm going to keep the imp and see if it grows on me. Also, I passed by my co-workers desk to see what she thought, and she gave this one the thumbs up!

Wet: This is definitely a bright, non-powdery violet. So often, violets smell soapy on me, and this one doesn't really. It's a bit sweet and green. I also get something kind of brown and earthy, maybe the opopanax or the orris root. I don't know the difference between orris and orris root, so I can't tell if I'm getting that here or not. Dry: The brown, earthy thing is still there. I get some mint in the background, but I was hoping for more. Overall: This is a nice violet scent, not too soapy or powdery. I don't think I'll be wearing it very often, but I'm glad I tried it.

I should have known better than to try this one, but I wanted to give it a shot. Wet: BUBBLEGUM. As expected. Rose-scented bubblegum. Dry: The rose starts to come out more, but the sickly sweet lotus-bubblegum note is still ruining the whole thing. Lotus hates me. Three lotuses hate me times three. Overall: Lotus always turns to bubblegum on my skin, so I'm not surprised at all that this didn't work for me.

Wet, this is mostly fig - very thick and sugary and slightly spicy. As it dries, more of the orange starts to come through. Th orange is brighter, but overall the scent is still very sweet and fruity. I don't tend to like foodie scents, so this is not for me.

Wet: Hmmm. Sweet, soapy violets with clove. I like the violet-clove combo, but not the soapiness of the violet. Dry: As it dries, the soapiness dies down a bit, but I'm sort of underwhelmed by this one. It's not very distinctive or interesting on me. It doesn't smell bad; it just doesn't make me want to wear it again.