Voleuse

On first application, this is apples and berries, crisp and a little boozy. Pretty! As it dries, I get more wood, which leaches the sweetness out of the blend without completely morphing it. I don't know if I'd call this an autumn scent, but it's a golden one, dry and a little dusty.

This is warm on first application, and...I'm not sure how to describe it. There's a hint of cinnamon, but also something like incense, as well as herbs.

 

As it dries, it becomes more astringent. Weird. It's a cool scent, but also one that I imagine would fireball if lit, you know? And it gets very astringent over time. I wouldn't use it as perfume, but it is rather invigorating. It's definitely something to wear with intent.

At first, this is all resin, with barely detectable rose. Eek! I was hoping for more rose in this, as resins tend to make me sneeze.

 

As it dries, the resin mellows to a strong, golden glow, and the freshness of the rose starts to appear. Over time, the balance becomes more even, but the resins are always predominant on me. Alas!

This wasn't really on my radar until I noticed a few reviews comparing this to Blue Moon, which I wouldn't have guessed from the description. Sure enough, on first application, I get a sweet cucumber note that is strongly reminiscent of Blue Moon.

 

As it dries, I begin to catch the lily--I'm not familiar with osmanthus, so I can't discern that note. The musk begins to come out as well, but the overall blend stays cool and sweet. There's a light smokiness behind it all that I suspect is the frankinscence. This is a lovely white floral on me, and definitely a keeper.

What an odd scent--but in a good way! In the bottle, it's all apple peel to me, but on application, I get myrrh and musk, sweetened by apple. It's alternately cool and incensey when I sniff it, lovely in each, but never both at the same time. It's bright, but not warm. There's also a strong dollop of musk, to my nose, that's surprisingly animalistic.

 

I don't get strong jasmine, but it's definitely there. This is amazingly complex on me, lush and green and enchanting. I don't know what to make of it, but I'm definitely going to hang onto it until I figure it out.

This is honey and sandalwood on first application, with a strong floral note behind it. It's pretty and musky, but quite strong.

 

As it dries, I get more of a creamy floral note, though the honey and rose stays dominant in the blend. It's warm and golden, overall, and the sweetness isn't cloying so much as intriguing. I didn't expect to like this blend so much, but it's definitely a keeper.

In the bottle, this actually strikes me as kind of grape-ish. Weird. On first application, however, it's super-sweet, like coarse sugar melting behind my teeth. And I mean that in a really good way. There's an echo of vanilla to the scent as well, though I can never pin it down long enough to say for certain.

 

As it dries, it gets earthier, but never loses its heady sweetness. Oddly, I don't get boozy notes from this at all--it's earthy musk and sugar, rolled into one. It's definitely a bold and slinky sort of scent, one that winks at you as it passes by. Brava!

In the bottle, this is really sharp to my nose, and the wormwood is quite strong. Upon application, however, it's immediately musk and sweetness. The vanilla and honey are evident, but not cloying at all. I'm not very sure what the other notes are, but somehow, they keep the blend from becoming too sweet or too boozy.

 

As it dries, it softens beautifully. Something herbal becomes more prominent, as well as a lemony note. It's definitely a close-to-the-skin sort of scent, and softly sensuous. I never get the pungent licorice I receive from the GC Absinthe, and as such, I like this blend fifty times more than I expected to. Yay!

This is super-sweet orange at first, with a hint of warm vanilla behind it. As it dries, it gets even warmer--the effect of the amber on me--and I begin to smell the gardenia and rose.

After a few minutes, the rose and gardenia become the dominant notes, amplified by the musk. The orange and vanilla still linger, making the blend sweet, but it ends up being quite well balanced. It's warm and has the perfect dollop of spice to counter the sweetness. Beautiful.

This is all cassia and patchouli at first, with cassia being the more prominent note. It's quite strong on me, spicy and earthy and sweet.

 

As it dries, the cassia and patchouli mellow somewhat, and the tobacco blooms beautifully. I get a little bit of musk as well. On me, it comes off as a little too brash, but it is a lovely, sensual scent.

This is intoxicating plum on first application, with a sweetness I'm tempted to label honeyed. It's definitely a floral blend, but sweet enough that it edges into foody territory, IMHO. It's very fresh, and the ginger lends a bit of kick to the blend.

 

This is a light and pale scent, but it has definite presence. It's both pretty and beautiful, and those are usually very different things.

Wet, this is strongly reminiscent of other snowy evergreen scents I've adored--Snow Bunny, Skadi, Ice Queen, Talvikuu. It's icy and prickly sharp. I'll powerless against these notes.

 

As it dries, however, it becomes greener. It's no less cold, but it's not encased in ice anymore. What's more, I begin to smell the floral notes mentioned in the description. They're definitely a backdrop to the evergreen on me, but it adds a nice, sweet complexity to the blend. Definitely a keeper.

The rose appears first on this, fresh and sweet. As it dries, the leather begins to make an appearance, adding warmth and a bit of earthiness to the blend. For the most part, however, the leather is simply a grounding note to me--it keeps the roses from becoming too overwhelming.

 

To my nose, this is essentially a rose blend, and it's a lovely one. Not what I expected, but lovely just the same.

This is very dark on first application, an almost chokingly subterranean vetiver as the dominant note. (And I like vetiver!) A few seconds later, the patchouli comes out, and in contrast, it's almost sweet. This is definitely a brooding sort of scent.

 

As it dries, it becomes relatively faint to my nose, like wisps of black smoke, wafting past when least expected. I can just smell the musk and herbs, but they're faint as well. On the whole, it's evocative and sinister. This isn't an easy scent to wear, but I think I'll hold onto it.

This is a pungent yet clean scent on first application, fresh and herbal and a little sweet. It's very well blended--I can smell floral and herbal notes, but I can't identify any of them for certain. A couple of reviews mentioned gardenia, and I do think that might be one of the floral notes. There's a bit of a soapy note as well, but that's not a bad thing, in this case.

 

Overall, this is a sweet and refreshing blend that I really like. I'd definitely consider a bottle.

On first application, this is strong patchouli and sweet vanilla. After a moment, I get a wave of bitter citrus and musk. This is a fascinating blend, because each time I sniff it, it's a little different--sweet, musky, and bitter by turns.

 

After a while, however, the vanilla fades to the background, and the rose blooms. This isn't at all like Snake Oil on me--it's muskier, for one, and there's an overall veil over it that makes it feel a little more antique. It's sophisticated and provocative at once.

On first application this is both sweet and metallic, aquatic in a way that reminds me of aftershave. There's also, I think, a bit of eucalyptus, and perhaps a faint floral note as well. It's pretty, but it smells sharply masculine to me.

 

As it dries, it takes more of a metallic edge, but overall it stays pretty consistent on me. I'd be interested in how this blend turns out on a man, but it's definitely not one for me.

This is such a striking and unusual scent. Musty lavender is the dominant note for me, but it's backed strongly by the cinnamon and something lemony. The result, however, is an odd metallic zing--not unpleasant, but certainly puzzling. I'm not sure what to make of it!

 

As it dries, the herbal notes kick in more strongly, and--this will sound weird--it starts to remind me of chicken soup. Not the chicken or the savory smell, really, but there's some combination of herbs that I associate with it. It's a fascinating scent, but I don't think it's for me.

On first application, this is an enveloping musk, punctuated with honey and a light floral note. Wow! It's bold and it's seductive, and quite dominating.

 

As it dries, the blend becomes a little spicier, and it's more easy for me to detect the earthiness of the patchouli. It gets lighter over time, a brooding red and golden glow that's still demanding and sweet. The honey, however, ends up overriding the florals, making it a touch too sweet for me.

This is pungent grape on first application, quickly followed by a boozy musk. It's sweet, but also a little sweaty, and wobbly around the knees. Perfectly matched to its description, really.

 

As it dries, the sweetness gives way to the musk, and a creeping staleness that again, is exact in tone. I even get a hint of something like cigarette smoke. In the end, it's not something I'd wear, but I'm impressed by it just the same.

This is almost overpoweringly foody on first application--the savory note of Shill, overlaid with gobs of sugar and butter cream. It's delicious, but also very strong. Yikes! There's a nutty note to it as well, which I didn't expect.

 

I think this is what I wanted Midway to smell like, and thankfully, it doesn't go plastic on me as that scent did. Though it fades a little, it stays rich and sweet until it disappears.

Though this is all sweet plum in the bottle, on application is musk and smoke, sweetness and earth. It's well balanced--I can barely pick out individual notes.

 

As it dries, it gets a little lighter, but retains the lovely note of burnt sweetness. The base of it reminds me, actually, of Sugar Skull, but the other complexity added by the other notes lends it splashes of purple and gold. Definitely a keeper.

This is definitely dark on first sniff, a sweet and brooding combination of cinnamon and clove. It's not cloying, but it gathers and claws at my throat. (Metaphorically, that is. I'm not allergic!) This is warm, but it isn't bright at all, like I've found other cinnamon-influenced scents. The dark notes, I think, are mostly the patchouli, grounding the spices and keeping them down. I like it.

 

As it dries, the clove becomes the dominant note, swarmed by incense. I don't smell any peach, specifically, but there is a lighter note shining through everything else. This is fascinating.

At first sniff, this is fresh and sweet, and brisk in a way that implies a stiff breeze nearby. It's green and juicy, tropical fruit still ripening on the branch. Wow! As it dries, I get an ozone/rain note as well, definitely tropical, but it's a relatively cool scent, despite that.

 

Over time, the sweetness stays, but the ozone and juiciness fade away. The amber makes a stronger appearance, warming the scent tremendously, and bringing out the lush florals as well.

On first application, this is strong peach and insistent patchouli. It's warm, but also sticky sweet and dark. As it dries, the less sweet notes come to the fore, and everything strikes an even balance. It's earthy, but not too serious-smelling. It's sweet, but not too flighty.

 

I don't think is quite the scent for me, but the end result is nicely grounded. I like it.