birdiefu

I got this as a frimp from the lab and was hoping the jasmine would play nice on me this time. I was looking to get some of the sandalwood, musk, and vanilla...but no. Peitho *almost* worked for me- the jasmine was behaving itself and not amping like crazy or morphing into department store perfume- but there was another sinister note that ended up ruining this scent. I got a very acrid, biting note of something that made me think of old cat pee- very much like ammonia and not pleasant. I managed to wear Peitho for about 10 minutes before I had to wash it off.

Smut to me is very, *very* similar to Snake Oil, but with less spices and vanilla. Right after applying it has a bit more patchouli trying to assert itself, but that mellows down and dissapears after a few minutes. At 30 minutes, it smells so much like Snake Oil that I would have to wear them side-by-side to really tell the difference. As Smut dries over an hour or so, it takes on more of a true muskiness with a touch of sweetness to it and reminds me a lot of Czernobog. I'm a musk girl and Smut makes me very happy! However, I don't think I will be trying to track down a bottle as I can approximate the scent on me with Snake Oil and Czernobog.

The only two carrier oils I am aware of that have an 'indefinite' shelf-life are jojoba and fractionated coconut oil. Jojoba is in fact a wax ester rather than an oil. Was there any way that the bottle could have been contaminated in some way? Getting residue from your fingers or trace amounts of other substances in there might, over a few years, cause spoilage.

Unfortunately, the ozone did this one in on me. All I get is ozone with a touch of leather, and ozone gives me a headache and makes me think of department-store perfume. .

I wanted to like Black Phoenix, I should have liked it, but it didn't like me . Bottle- I hardly got any smell from the imp. A slight bit of sweet darkness. Wet- My first impression was cherries, a whole ton of sweet cherries. After the brief surge of extreme cherryness, it was mega almond. Sweet, sweet almonds with a touch of cherry. Dry- My skin wants to eat Black Phoenix up, this doesn't last very long at all. The scent that I can capture while dry (~10 minutes after applying) is more complex than while wet. The almond is barley detectable, the cherries are gone, and I can catch that deeper bit coming out. It's warm, spicey, and a little astrigent, yet oh-so-slightly sweet. Something resiney, a touch of myrrh and oh- is that my beloved dragon's blood? Ah, but the notes are so fleeting it's hard to identify them. Overall- Not a fan of the wet smell, this definitely improves over time. However, it's completely gone from my skin within 30 minutes . ETA: on drydown there is something in there that reminds me of Laudanum.

I'm the same way- the darker/redder the oil, the more I usually like it! Call me crazy, but Czernobog is one of my favorites. The initial wet smell isn't too great though, but once I get past that, it's pure dark love. But I don't usually wear it out in public much, as I'm afraid that others may not appreciate the smell as much as I... Bottle: Overwhelmingly strong muskiness with some sort of sharp note that I can't identify. This is *the* darkest, deepest blend I have come across and the description fits it well. Wet: You only need a tiny amount, this stuff is strong with a lot of throw. That high, sharp note is still there, but isn't unpleasant. I can smell the myrrh as well, but what dominates is MUSK!! Almost a musk overload, and I'm a musk ho. It's like it's mating season in my house and horny wolves and goats and deer are getting it on. I think I get a whiff of civet also, and for a minute or so during the wet phase there is a hint of poo...like the animals were getting it on so hard that someone had an accident. Dry: The blend smoothes out a ton. The sharpness has been replaced by a mellow fruity-sweet note with the tiniest touch of spice. Very subtle, but gives some dimension to the musk. The myrrh has gone almost powdery, but in a good way. And the musks have become beautiful! Well blended and the trace of poop is gone. I do agree with what some others have said that it is very similar to Snake Oil once it's hit drydown. Conclusion: Despite that poop note that shows up briefly, I love this blend. I never though I would have said that about a perfume before (it smells like poop, but it's still great ). Czernobog is a very manly scent, and I have a feeling that if I try it on DH I will just want to eat him up. Not for the faint of heart though- if you don't do musk, stay far away.

Eve is so far the only really floral blend that works well for me. I usually get a sharp, 'generic perfume' smell from other florals (especially with rose) that give me a headache, but not with Eve! Bottle- A sweet and innocent floral scent. I get the honey, ylang-ylang, rose, and I think apple blossom (more of a green smell). Wet- Ylang-ylang is the predominant note at first and bordering on too much for me, but mellowed pretty quickly. I could get hints of the apple and rose, and the honey gave a depth to it all. Dry- Mostly rose now, but surprisingly a rose that I like! The rose is such a light, soft, true rose- not that rotten or old rose that I usually get. Ylang-ylang has mellowed a lot and just barely there now. The apple blossom and honey add to the whole combination and make Eve such a well rounded blend. The scent is not heavy and overpowering like other florals I've met- it's light and fresh but with good staying power. Eve is such a pretty, girly scent and smells so true to the description. The problem is that I'm not much of a floral person . I love to smell this blend (just can't keep my nose out of my arm!), but it's not 'me'. I hate to get rid of the imp, and think I will hold on to it for those rare moments that I want to feel like a girly girl.

Bottle- It smells so very sharp and strong (eye-watering), hard to place what exactly it is, but reminds me of cheap alcohol-based generic flower perfumes. Wet- I'm tempted to wash off already as the sharpness is headache-inducing and that 'generic' flower smell is very strong. I think I get more rose than anything. Dry- Amber and Patchouli show up to try to tame the flowers, but the overall smell is still quite biting even as it fades. This one is not for me.

Bottle: Heavenly! Sweet almond, slightly spicy orange, and a touch of neroli. Wet: What happened?? All I get are a lot of cloves. Dry: The cloves are still overpowering anything else that might be in there, but I thought I caught a whiff of sandalwood at one point. Oh well . ETA: I tried it again a couple weeks later, and it's not *as* clovey this time. More full-bodied spiced (but heavy on the cloves) rose, and the sandalwood is more apparent. Better, but still not quite my cup of tea. For some reason I keep on wanting to like this scent, maybe one day...

Bottle- Enough spice and incense to knock me over! I was a little afraid to apply it, as it seemed so strong, yet I did. Wet- The root beer and licorice scent overwhelms, and there is a weirdly familiar scent from my youth below that. The incensey/myrrh smell hovers in the background. Dry- The huge burst of root beer has calmed a bit, leaving a deep, dark, intoxicating scent. Warm myrrh surrounded by spices and smoke with a taste of sassafras. I don't think I could wear this out on myself, but it would be great for a weekend lounging around the house. Once dry it gives me a sleepy feeling too, I will have to try it before bed.

Bottle- It's such a hodgepodge of notes that I have a hard time picking any one out, but the combination smells like slightly sweet spices. Wet- I get a very odd buttered popcorn scent for a few seconds, which quickly dissapears. A touch of fruit (this isn't overly apricoty on me) with some flowers that I can't identify. There is a nice grounding base to the scent which keeps it from being too sweet or fruity. Dry- Still a hodgepodge of notes, but they seem to be layered nicely. The musk has come out from hiding and warms the slightly sweet fruit. The floral notes are unobtrusive and blend well with the rest of the scent. This blend works well for me as one who doesn't like things too sweet or floral, but enjoys their presence once in a while. I like the complexity of Yerevan and it is a comforting scent to me. However, there isn't a whole lot of throw and the scent fades pretty quickly.

Bottle- A sweet, fruity scent with just a touch of flowers Wet- The sweetness is overwhelming and makes my teeth hurt. I could barely detect a flowery scent (roses?) below that. Dry- That sticky sweet scent isn't as strong, but seems to come and go. Dried rose petals try to push their way through.

In the bottle: Heavy sweet florals Wet: My first impression was of honeysuckles. Very floral smell with a thick sweetness about it. ~30 minutes: Jasmine has come to the forefront, and there is a lot of it. Still some sweetness, but no lime at all If I was still a little girl, this would be *the* scent for me as I used to just love heavy florals. But alas I can't stand them now, so this is not for me. I never got any lime out of this, just the florals.

I'm more of a musk and resin kinda girl, but I got this for free and gave it a try. In the bottle- Lightly sweet with a touch of flowers Just applied- Kitty litter that just got peed on . But my skin will corrupt even the yummiest imps during the first few minutes, so I let it develop a little more. 10 minutes- Thank god the kitty litter and cat pee faded! Although the scent is 'high', it is still strong with a lot of throw. It has a hint of berry sweetness, but not sickenly so. I don't know what linden smells like, but there are flowers hiding behind the berries. Dry-down- I am pleasantly surprised with this imp. This is not my usual type of scent, but I can see myself wearing it on a spring day while wearing a white dress with my hair floating around me. It is light and airy with a touch of sweetness embedded in forest wildflowers.