harmonyfb

The essence of innocent summer in a bottle. No, really.

 

Wet, this was all sweet peachy goodness, like biting into a ripe warm peach. I feared it would become a little cloying - and it did go through a short phase where it was as I feared, but as it dried, the amber bloomed up beneath it and turned it into a warm, sweet scent that lifted my spirits and made me smile.

In the imp, it was a sourish scent of indeterminate origin. Wet, it was a delicious black tea with something complex beneath it. Five minutes later, it was cherry blossoms and something sour. Ten minutes later, the ho wood had obliterated all before it. Sour, flat, and just awful. Thank goodness I didn't buy a bottle unsniffed, because this is not for me.

I'd second the rec of the Unicorn, but also add The Hanging Gardens.

The selection that I always use to entice newbies includes an LE (Pumpkin Queen), but for GC's?

 

Miskatonic University

White Rabbit

Night-Gaunt

Hanging Gardens

Two, Five, and Seven

Lyonesse

Villain (for men)

How funny - I've avoided this scent because of the notes. I figured that rum, bourbon, and graveyard dirt would add up to the anti-harmonyfb scent.

 

But...in the imp, this was a clean, clear scent, and that continued when I applied it. It was like cold rain, light and refreshing. Dry, it smells faintly of leather and rain. Wow. Very evocative of southern cities after a good thunderstorm.

 

Conclusion: Don't be afraid of trying scents with notes you don't like.

In the imp: Juicy plums

 

Wet: Sense memory. I'm in high school, and I'm standing backstage at a forensics meet, waiting to go on. It was so vivid a recollection, I felt like I could reach out and touch the past. Wow. Why would this evoke that memory? I don't know.

 

Dry: Like a pleasant, berryish candle scent. It's like the impression you get when you use scented candles to scent your dresser drawers - just a faint, sweet smell.

 

Verdict: I kinda like it.

I almost didn't post this review, because I couldn't bear to try it on my skin.

 

In the imp, this smelled like...I swear...bubblegum and ass. I have no idea which note is giving me that impression, but obviously, this scent does NOT like me. ::shudders::

In the bottle, this was sharp dragon's blood and bitter orange peel. My heart sank, because dragon's blood really plays havoc with my allergies (and I don't care overmuch for the smell - a little goes a long way). On my skin, it was loud and sharp and giving me a headache. Woe!

 

It's dried down to a red-orange scent that reminds me very much of a New Age bookstore I used to frequent. That must be the dragon's blood. Alas, the amber I had pinned my hopes on has not shown up at all.

 

Definitely not for me.

In the bottle, this smelled of tea and saltwater - very aquatic, with just a hint of black tea. No sign of the dreaded mildewed raincoat.

On my skin, this blossomed into a complex, beautiful aquatic, the tobacco mellowing out the sweet milky tea, and making it sophisticated instead of saccharine. There's a hint of the sea behind the main notes, but it's not overwhelming, and doesn't ping my allergies.

I believe this would be great for men as well as women; it's very gender-neutral. Definitely a keeper.

ETA: I tried it on again today, and suddenly, it's a dead ringer for Thunder Moon. Seriously masculine and sporty - still clean and salty, with a hint of milky tea, but whoa - today it's way too masculine for me.

In the imp: Surprisingly fruity.

 

Wet: Sour fruit.

 

Dry: leatherLeatherLEATHER...and sour fruit. And STINKY FRUITY SOUR LEATHER. With a LOT of throw. ::gags:: ::rushes to wash it off::

 

Well, rats.

I wanted to love this. Really, I did. I've tried it three times, and each time I've convinced myself that I'll love it forever...but honestly, this is a sourish rose blend on me. After a couple of hours, it settles into a rosy amber smell, but it's simply not very pretty on my skin. ::sigh::

In the imp, and wet on my skin: ozone, ozone, ozone.

 

Dry: As someone up-thread noted, there's a men's cologne that smells very like this. As someone else noted, "sporty" is a good adjective. Or it would be, if I were a man. Bleah. Not for me.

In the imp: Water. (Yes, the thought crossed my mind that Beth was having a little joke at our expense by filling the bottle with water and waiting to see if we noticed. )

 

Wet: Sharp tang of ozone puts paid to the 'bottle of water' theory.

 

Dry: Well, hell. Dryer sheets.

 

ETA: Two friends tried it on last night. On one, it smelled bright and citrusy. On the other, it smelled of clear, fresh waters and just a hint of soft flowers. I'm still bitter about this whole body chemistry thing. ::shakes fist impotently::

In the imp, this smelled of a spicy amber. Wet, this was gorgeous - all smooth amber and a little warm spice. Unfortunately, dry, the pepper amps up until it smells like strong ginger, and nothing but. I'm hoping that it will mellow and bring the nice warm amber scent back with a little time.

 

Alas, an hour later, it's still all loud, spicy pepper and nothing else. No amber, no honeysuckle, no nothing. ::sigh:: I'm so disappointed. Damn my body chemistry!

 

ETA: I tried it again the next day, and damn if it didn't stay in that gorgeous spicy amber phase! Looks like I'll be buying a bottle of this, but only wearing it at certain times of the month.

 

ETA2: A week later, I applied it and smelled...flowers. WTF? The amber was completely absent; instead there was a spicy floral scent. This is an amazingly changeable perfume.

Night Gaunt and Hungry Ghost Moon smell very similar when dry to me.

 

 

Wow, not at all to me. On me, Hungry Ghost Moon was unpleasant green muskiness, while Night-Gaunt is by turns cheerful (grapefruit) and sublime (snowy, with faint flowers).

Bakeneko was a dead ringer for Opium for me (to the point where it threw me into college flashbacks ::chuckle:: I spent the whole day in a nostalgic fugue.)

Oddly enough, all the TAL and Voodoo oils I've tried smell exactly the same to me - they all smell like grass/herbs. (Except for Aunt Caroline's Joy Mojo, which smells like bubblegum.)

Shared via a particularly generous swap.

 

In the imp, this smelled a lot like warm cobbler...the scent of baked goods and warm fruit.

 

On my skin? Well. A previous reviewer said it smelled like Sugar Skull? Yes, it did on me, too. That is to say, it smelled like a loud, fake 'spice' potpourri. Bleah.

 

Nice to know I won't be pining for it, after all.

I'm almost sorry I tried this. I could easily see buying two or three bottles.

 

In the imp, this was mild and sweet; a gorgeous red color not unlike claret.

 

On my skin, it was a delicious blend that was spicy without being overwhelming, and foody without being sick-making. It's sort of a rich, almost fruity scent, eventually drying down to add a subtle hint of vanilla.

 

I'll be over here hoarding my imp, and hoping against hope that Beth releases a similar blend in the future.

I had hoped that the hyacinth would be the uppermost scent here, but alas! Wet, it was kind of a sour musk, fading to very sour greenish smell, and dry, it's all sandalwood.

On me, this is just a generic floral, which starts out soft, and ends softer. ::shrug:: Not really my thing.

This smells like a very green ylang-ylang, with a hint of buttercup and jasmine (there's no jasmine in there! What? And yet...jasmine.)

 

I find it a little cloying, and I can't imagine reaching for this blend. Ever. So very much not for me. Glad I had the chance to try it, but off it goes to swap.

I didn't buy this when it was available, because it mentioned Dragon's Blood, and I have bad reactions to that. ::facepalm:: There's not any identifiable dragon's blood, and it's not pinging my allergies at all. Yay!

 

In the imp, there's a sharp citrus smell. Wet, it's largely kumquat, but it dries to a fresh, sweet scent that's incredibly cheerful. If I sniff very carefully, I can just about distinguish notes, but there's no one note that dominates - it's a complex and well-blended perfume. Very beautiful, and definitely a keeper. This'll make a lovely summer fragrance.

2007 blend:

 

In the bottle, this smells like expensive commercial men's cologne. On my skin, it's all patchouli. Was this reformulated? Because it smells nothing like last year's blend, to my nose. 2006 smelled of sweetened balsam. This is a spicy, patchouli-laden men's cologne.

In the imp, it was kind of a complicated cocoa smell. When I first dabbed it on, the chocolate was at the top, and started to sour up (like with the Candy Butcher, oy)....but then, it just disappeared. The entire blend morphed into a very sharp, pungent herbal scent that I really Did. Not. Like.

 

It smelled so familiar...I'm sure I have the plant that's the top-note in my garden. However, it was not good as a personal scent. Really glad I gave it a miss this time.