WidgetAlley

Imp: Lush green florals, of the kind that will almost certainly go powdery on me. They're lovely and sophisticated here, though!

Wet: Oh! A strong, sweet, slightly aquatic floral that smells almost exactly like fabric softener while also smelling about 1000x better. I think the combo of light wafty vanilla and orchid creates an almost linen-y note. It's in the Black Opal-Zephyr family for sure. Didn't expect to like it so much-- although it is very strong!

Dry: Sandalwood, vanilla, and orchid. Yum, yum, yum. This is sexy, virginal and "clean" all at once, although it's so bloody overwhelmingly strong that I'm going to have to be careful with it. I really, really didn't think I'd like this, but it smells like HOT HOT HOT dryer sheets and man, who could resist?

Imp: Sassafras, with its accompanying mentholated zing, and clove, and lots and lots of dry, unburned resins: amber, frankincense, myrrh.

Wet: Hot, hot frankincense, myrrh, benzoin perhaps? Cedar and dry timber and golden incense smoldering on a wooden table. This smells a lot like Sol to me, but without the fuzzy-inviting quality. This is just hot, spicy, ecclesiastical and dry. It's gorgeous! Very gender-neutral. Not sexy, just powerful.

Dry: Cedar and incense, very much like Cathedral without the odd banana note. I like this, but it's not hugely different from a lot of other resin-heavy blends, so I'll probably pass it on so someone else has a chance to try a rare.

Imp: ... Yeasty toast, slightly sour milk (yogurt?), a tiny bit of astringent tea, and lots of vanilla sugar! Smells good enough to drink.

Wet: Nuts! Nuts and graaains! And... coffee, almost? I smell plain white sugar, nuts, grain, milk, a splash of tea, and somehow the overall effect is really similar to a really yummy latte (weirdly). Oh, and anise or fennel, sweet and herbal and lovely.

Dry: A soft, sugared, milky tea with strong anise and nut overtones. Oh man, I didn't expect to like this, but it's like a cross between Antikythera Mechanism and White Rabbit. I'll surely use up my imp!

I was frimped this by a lovely swapper.

Imp: Strong, strong, gorgeous rose, and a very rich, sweet, ripe black cherry. Yum.

Wet: Unfortunately this is the sort of rose that goes instantly to soap on me. But it's a lovely, fruity soap, full of fresh ripe plums, cherries, and figs. I get just a zing of carnation as well. After a minute or two, the honey comes out.

Dry: This dries into a fruity, expensive soap. It's pretty, but definitely not for me-- which makes sense, since I'm not a Libra!

Boy, you know what doesn't work on me? Leather. Let's see what happens.

Imp: Sweet, heavy tobacco and ambergris! Yum. Smells like some kind of rich dessert if rich dessert were made of musk and tobacco.

Wet: Thick burning incense ash, brown stale tobacco, musk, ambergris and... mother of God. Leather. Actual, real, serious leather. It doesn't smell like weird vanilla, it doesn't smell like hot plastic, it smells like glossed leather-- thick and slick and sinister. This is manly as hell.

Dry: Oh, there's the weird sugar. It still smells like leather and tobacco and incense and musk, but the leather amps up into this incredibly almost candy-like sweetness. I think this would be great on a guy whose skin could handle leather, but I'm definitely neither of those things.

Imp: Sweet Tarts and cool foliage and a hint of petals.

Wet: Soap! But expensive, fresh, clean-smelling soap, with a big hit of pear and violet. It even smells a little grainy, like those French-milled goat's milk soaps sometimes do. And, even more weirdly, it's making my wrists sting a little bit, which almost never happens! Smells like a nice cleaning fluid.

Dry: A grainy, fruity, almost... nutty?... floral, with strong hints of pear and violet and, of course, lily. Pretty, but not my style-- although I may dump my imp in my homemade fabric softener!

Imp: Sweet, fruity, spicy floral. Yum! I get peach and apple and orange blossom and musk and just a hint of rose; it's light and springy and clean and sexy and... just a tiny bit cinnamon-y? Maybe the resins?

Wet: Oh yum. Big burst of pale delicate peach and apple and gorgeous cool florals, with a hint of clean skin musk and blossoms. This is definitely a spring scent!

Dry: This, sadly, fades quickly down to a sweet fruit-and-floral, very close to the skin. I wish it had more throw, because it's gorgeous! I'll definitely use my imp for springtime.

Imp: Wine-y grape Sweet Tarts, honey, and resin. Reminds me a lot of Madrid or Blood Kiss.

Wet: Sweet wine, honey, red musk, fruity flowers, and rich resin. It actually works pretty well, which is unusual on my skin, and smells a lot like the amalgamation of all BPAL scents that hits you when you open your perfume box.

Dry: A dusty, incense wine-and-flowers scent that would, if I hadn't already sampled the BPAL oeuvre, knock my socks off. As it is, it's merely pleasant. I might use it as a room or laundry scent, or I might pass it on.

Imp: Strong, fruity, floral-honey. Interestingly, I don't get straight jasmine out of this. It almost smells violet-y?

Wet: Yep, definitely violet or lavender or something else cool and blue-purple and commonly used in facial/body products. The combined sweetness and cleanliness creates a smell that's very reminiscent of baby wipes on me. Sadly, the honey isn't the deep, rich, dripping kind I was hoping, but a thin watery suggestion of sweetness.

Dry: Sadly, this never develops the depth or richness of scent I was hoping, but remains a slightly watery, generic sweet floral. This is not a great time of the month to be testing new scents, so I'll give this another go before I ditch it, but I'm not a huge fan.

So excited I finally got this! I have been intrigued by it since the Carnival first arrived and was sad I missed it while CD was up.

Bottle: Mmm. Dry, spicy cardamom, golden hot hay, and something that smells woody like pine trees but smooth and round and sweet like vanilla (the balsams, I'd assume.) It smells like the Finnish cardamom bread (pulla) I like to make outside in a sunny forest.

Wet: At first, a huge burst of cardamom seed-- which is fine by me, since I love it! Then a gorgeous, milky, vanilla-resin smell with hints of dry grass and pine. It smells like a sugary, spicy, herbal hot drink.

Dry: A gorgeous, woody, almost bitter smell of resins, overlaid with cardamom and hay and that sweet not-vanilla. I quite like this, and it's very different from anything else that I own. The throw is slight and the scent itself is so close and natural it seems almost skin-like, which makes it a great choice for work or other scenarios where I don't want to surround everyone with a cloud of incense.

Imp: A very sweet, resinous floral, with that slightly dusty component that can only come from orris. And some myrrh and patchouli. I thought I'd really dislike it since I don't usually like myrrh or orris, but it's nice and, indeed, very elegant.

Wet: Myrrh! Patchouli! Myrrh! And orris, which in this case smells almost like a white sandalwood-- very dry and dusty. And black musk, which almost never behaves on me. It's a little better than usual here, mixed with the resins, but it still has an overpoweringly sweet animal smell, almost like warm dog fur.

Dry: This becomes something close to black musk SN on me, with hints of orris and myrrh. If black musk works on you, I can see how this would be a gorgeous, resinous blend. On me, I just smell like happy dog in the summertime!

Imp: A deep, sweet, salty smell. It smells like dates and hot sand and a sharp ozone note and, faintly, of white wine.

Wet: A thick, round ozone note, dried fruit, something green and that lovely hot sand/beach smell. It's very, very similar to Pirate Moon, without that note of sun-dried cotton, and with more tropical green. Which, hey, suits me fine, since I LOVE Pirate Moon! This one is a bit more cologne-ish, due to the grass and ferns, though, not as fuzzy.

Dry: A nice aquatic full of salt breezes and dried dates and greenery. Very similar to Pirate Moon, although I think I like PM a bit more. Still, this will be a great GC replacement if I ever need it-- and a fantastic room scent!

I'm taking the GRE tomorrow, so I could really use some stress-relief and good luck!

Imp: Bubblegum! Pink bubblegum and lots of flowers and fresh, bright, sugared citrus.

Wet: Sweet licorice in bright colors, like those English licorice all-sorts, and a gorgeous and very subtle musk, along with that same citrus and floral. And something like the waxy vanilla from Tombstone. It's really nice, and not anywhere near as girly as I thought it would be from the initial sniff.

Dry: This doesn't seem to have that strong a throw, but when I walked away from my desk and walked back I caught lingering whiffs of a lovely, bright, fruit-licorice-vanilla scent that was perfectly charming. It's hard not to be cheered up by this, as it smells like the grown-up version of a candy store.

Imp: Sweet. Teeth-achingly, cloyingly sweet apple and strawberry and a bit of pomegranate juice. Tart, too. There's a few hints of something deeper underneath it-- sandalwood, probably, and rose.

Wet: A refreshing, crisp green apple, surrounded by a cloud of sweet floral-- violet and rose, mostly. There's a lovely pomegranate that seems to behave well on me, and some strawberry as well, and if I put my nose right up to my wrist I get this amazing red sandalwood-- but the throw is all tart, girlish fruit.

Dry: This rounds out to a nice, fruity-sandalwood scent that reminds me a lot of a more feminine, sweeter version of the Dodo. I really expected to dislike this one based on the notes but it's actually sort of nice. I'll hang on to it for now.

Imp: Strong, cleaner-y floral, which is always how dragon's blood registers to me, with some kitcheny spices dancing around it.

Wet: An INTENSE, sweet floral, almost like muguet but with more juicy fruit gum. There's a pleasant, nose-tingling spice behind it, and that part smells a lot like Three Witches. I do get a "hot" feel from this, but if it's angry, it's angry with a lot of flowers.

Dry: This vanishes almost instantly, leaving only a lingering trace of floral behind. Nice, but not for me.

Imp: A verrrry sophisticated coconut and iris. Like an extremely expensive traditional perfume but without the sharpness from the alcohol base. Gorgeous.

Wet: Dry coconut husk, sweet coconut meat, incredible iris and a warm smooth base of hazelnut and musk. It's very present without being strong. Decent throw, and oh-so-elegant.

Dry: More of the same. The iris is probably strongest now, backed by the nuts and that shimmering white musk. This is beautiful, but so sophisticated and grown-up that I'll probably save it for special occasions.

Imp: A ruddy, orange-yellow oil. At first sniff it smells like the types of vetivert I don't like-- the burning wood and the swampy kind, not the nice grassy one that I can sometimes wear. The red patchouli behind it is just lovely, though.

Wet: Strong, strong smell of burning swamp, like a cross between Hurricane and Smokestack. Underneath it, though, there's this velvety-sexy, awesome red patchouli that just lures you in. Although the overall effect isn't necessarily what I want to smell like as a perfume, I am quite enjoying it. It's very strong, commanding and grounding, and that is definitely what I needed today! The scorched smells is almost an exact dupe of what my firefighting gear smells like, with an added note of wet vegetation.

Dry: I feel like I'm walking around in a big cloud of scorched earth and surprisingly sexy patchouli. I'm not sure how I feel about that. Further testing will be required, but this such an odd and specific scent that I can't imagine it going into heavy rotation.

In my ongoing quest to find rose scents that work on me, I snagged a bottle of this some time ago but never got around to reviewing it.

Bottle: This smells a lot like Schlafende Baigneuse in the bottle, which is a-okay with me since that's one of my favorites. I get the same fresh, clean rose and citrus, only in this case it's backed by a lot of round honey and a green springy note that must be the wheat. There's a nice Vitamin C tartness that I remember from rosehip tea as well.

Wet: Sweet honey, green sap and stems (wheat?), fresh nectarine rind, a hint of resin and a really lovely, blooming fresh rose.

Dry: An almost dusty green smell, very much like a hot wheatfield, combined with a fresh rose and a bit of citrus. Lovely, but very very similar to Schlafende Baigneuse. I'll have to deathmatch them, but I think SB wins.

Imp: A sharp green note and a floral. Upon checking everyone else's reviews, I've decided my nose is on crack. I get a cherry cola smell as well but no chocolate or bakery-goodness in the slightest!

Wet: Oh! A very planty foody smell, somehow-- green stems, a faint hint of cherry, and something that smells like strong sandalwood and just a tiny bit of cocoa butter. The overall effect is both vegetal and, somehow, fuzzy, which seems perfect for its namesake. There's also something a little bitter.

Dry: A smooth, woody, chocolate-cherry-sandalwood-greenery scent. Something in here goes a little plasticky. While it's certainly very unusual, I can't see myself wearing this one very often.

Imp: A sharp, fruity musk and something that smells almost like... dishwater? Sour milk? Just the slightest twinge of something unpleasant in there. I wonder what in the world that could be, as these notes are usually okay on me.

Wet: Oh! Okay. The dishwater immediately smooths out to a nice soap instead. It's a floral, musky, fruity soap with a beautiful white tea component, but it's soap nonetheless.

Dry: The same, a lovely floral soap. Pretty, but not for me.

Bottle: Strong, lovely Snake Oil and an almost.. bready smell? Maybe one of the woods. And, unfortunately, that weird powdery scent I get from black musk.

Wet: Snake Oil and an almost chocolately scent that's a lovely combination of wood and musk. It smells almost a bit like Boomslang but less overtly sweet and foody.

Dry: A lovely soft wood-and-Snake Oil blend, but the black musk just isn't quite working for me. Off to a new home!

Bottle: Fruity, sweet, plummy musk. Smells like Smut.

Wet: That cool-night-air musk that I like so much in Illustrated Woman and Buck Moon, along with a lot, and I mean a lot, of sweet fruity red musk. Some of that quickly dies back to a more well-behaved skin musk but this is a lot stronger and more aggressive than I thought it would be.

Dry: A generic but well-behaved musk. Smells a bit like something one would buy at a department store, and is entirely too sweet and not "clean" enough for me. Oh well, glad I got to try it!

Imp: This oil is a lovely golden color in the bottle. The smell is, initially anyway, Sweet Tarts and incense, which usually means a berry note.

Wet: Bright floral lilac, a lot of light, sweet incense, and myrrh and wine notes that, astonishingly, don't go sour/salty/sweaty on my skin, but rather stay crisp and bright and tart and rather candy-like. I get a slightly darker, almost a vegetable smell underneath. Tea leaf?

Dry: Aaand it's almost gone already! I get faint whiffs of honey, incense, and florals, but this one didn't really grab me. I'll try it again but I'm not thinking it's a keeper.

Not a big fan of foody, but let's see.

Imp: A sweetly boozy plum, mince and something wonderfully grounding and green-- the holly, I suppose?

Wet: Thick, sweet, spicy bread pudding at first, then something green and a bit waxy (just like holly leaves!) and a very well-behaved booze note. It smells like a rich, sophisticated Christmas candle in the best way possible. I can see the jam comparisons.

Dry: A slightly generic but pleasantly sweet food-and-greenery smell, festive and pleasant. This isn't outstanding on my skin but it is quite nice, and I will probably keep it for a room scent for the holidays.

Imp: Dirty, sweet, dusty, overpowering floral and... incense-y baby powder? Definitely not my bag but I'll try it.

Wet: Heavy florals and a thick, resinous vanilla that smells, on me, like bathroom spray. It smells rather like a heavy old-fashioned perfume that's been left at the back of a cabinet for twenty years. I get vague impressions of caramel (which may be where the dust is coming from, since the Lab's caramel turns funky on me) and a little bit of something like... caraway seed maybe?

Dry: Oppressive, old-lady perfume on my skin. I love heavy incense and even a lot of florals, but this one just... doesn't work on me at all.