Voleuse

Sharp, strong lavender is all I smell on first sniff, dominating and overwhelming all the other blends. Herbal and a little warm, though I think I detect a bright note of verbena in the background. As it dries, the blend cools, but the lavender never backs down. Yipes!

On first application, this is dark cherry syrup, sweet and thick and a little spicy. Zow! As it dries, the sweetness mellows, making this an even darker, smokier scent. This smolders on me, the clove-incense-smoke note taking over the blend, though the cherry note never disappears.

This strikes me as a bit "cologne" on first sniff--dark pine, sweet and wild, but it's reminding me of some other cologne. Hm. Maybe it's the strong musk note that's causing it.

As it dries, the musk fades, and already I like the blend a lot better. The musk acts as a nice grounding note, but the evergreen scents shine through instead. Cold and green and sharp. I like this.

On first sniff, this strikes me as soapy, specifically, expensive floral soap, sweet and clean. As it dries, the soap note gives way to a sharp and sweetly boozy scent--the absinthe, I think. In the end, I get lavender, absinthe, and wood from this. Definitely reminiscent of a tavern, but more high-class than I expected from the description. Neat!

The ylang ylang and violet are strong on first application, sweet and clean and rich. Together, they're a little soapy, but in a nice way.

As it dries, the incense note gets stronger--not overwhelming, but creeping warmly over the floral notes. In the end, the blend takes on a powdery note, but again, it's light and pleasant.

This is mild and sweet on first application, milk and subtle ginger. After a while, the ginger gives way to a thin honey note, which blooms to sweeten the milk. Calming and lovely, though the honey gives me a little bit of a headache, after too long.

On first sniff, this is a light musk with a hint of wine. Something slightly floral as well, though the blend leans toward masculine. After a minute, I get a sweet incensey note, smoke and the tiniest hint of leather.

After a long while, the leather becomes the dominant note of the blend, dry and soft and aged. There's a hint of sweetness, still, but it's almost an echo.

Mmm. Earthy patchouli, dry sandalwood. Sweet and a little smoky. Dark, warm, with a hint of spice. The resin blooms after a minute, lending the blend a hint more sophistication. This could be a very sexy scent on some; on me, it's an intoxicating scent, but a little distant, despite the warmth.

Oh, wow! I didn't expect to recognize the tomato leaf, but it's the first thing that hits my nose, pulling back to my mother's garden in the sun. Wow, I repeat. Already I love this.

After a moment, the wilder notes intertwine with the tomato leaf, the sharp musky pine, the sweet berries. This is sweet and fresh, a forest and lush, green weeds blooming underfoot. This is much warmer than the other forest scents I adore, but I love it. Definitely going on my bottle list.

Lavender, clean and herbal-sweet. Very green, despite the lavender. Very masculine, but light. Amber, definitely, though less warm than I expected. Over time, the sharpish herbal note intensifies, though I can't identify it particularly. Overall, it's clean, sweet, and astringent. Not for me, but rather pleasant.

Hello, lavender! Although this blend has a hint of something peppery in the background, for the most part it's all sweet and/or astringent lavender. It's soft, and elegant, and it makes me sleepy. If you like lavender, you should definitely try this blend. As for me, I'll be sending this imp off to swaps.

According to legend, the birthplace of King Arthur. The scent of a castle's great hall in the midst of joyous feasting. Spicy mulled wine flowing through the musky heat, warm leather and bright clash of armor, the damp branches of Cornish hawthorn, blackthorn, juniper, English elm and bayberry, and the magical tingle of dragon's blood resin.

Oh, this is gorgeous. It's all evergreen and wind-washed hillside on first sniff, closely followed by a blossom of wine. Sweet and clean and wild. Over time, the wildness of the blend intensifies, evoking stone and sea as well as scrub. I do catch a hint of dragon's blood, as well, but it's faint, and I don't get leather from this at all. Nonetheless, I love this. I want a bottle.

This is all almond on first, with a hint of bergamot complicating it. I think I smell incense as well, and maybe a little jasmine, but my chemistry tends to amp almond above all else. I'm just thankful the almond didn't turn plastic on me, as it so often does! This is an intriguing scent, but I don't think it's one meant for me.

This is rather perfumey to my nose on first sniff, an airy balance of florals. After a while, however, the air in the blend blooms into a cool breeze, lending the floral notes a freshness that I wouldn't have expected. This is pretty! This strikes me as a flower-strewn mountainside, bright and perfect on a crisp morning. I smell the rose particularly, as well as a bitter, musk-tinged note. This morphs into something weird on me, sweet and a little too musky, but absinthe has never been kind with my chemistry.

Fresh, clean, and warm. Mmmm. The verbena bursts out, and I can smell the rain behind it. This is definitely a happy scent, like rain lit by sunshine. After a moment, I can smell the ginger as well, though overall it's a sweet green blend. This is beautiful.

On first application, this blend reminds me of grapes, sweet and intoxicating. As it dries, the grapes ripen to wine and honey, with the slightest hint of citrus. It's a rich, thirsting scent. I also smell the incense, but it's a background note, a constant and light smokiness that enhances the dominant wine. After I while, I get hints of spices, but I can't identify them. This is gorgeous. I want to compare Cairo to Athens, actually, but the tone is more common than their notes, if that makes sense.

This is a light, sweet rose on first application. It's clear and blossoming, not green as some rose blends have turned on me. It's delicate, but not fragile.

As it dries, the rose becomes more refined, somehow. It makes me think of creamy stationery, teacups, and pale light spilling through a window. It's not complex, but very true to itself. Rose, rose, rose. Beautiful.

Wow, alcohol. Lime and alcohol and a hint of something sweet. Yow! I've never had a Cosmopolitan before, but this certain packs a punch. There's something evergreen in the background as well, which is lovely. Over time, this mellows into a sweet piney scent, which I prefer over the booziness of early on.

On first application, this is a light, almost candied lemon. Hm! Sweet and sharp at once. As it dries, the tea mellows the sharpness, but not a lot. After a while, I can smell the effect of the amber, a halo of warmth blooming from the scent, creating a comfortable citrus blend.

I can detect a bit of a floral note, and when I concentrate, the barest hint of leather, like the lining of an expensive handbag. For the most part, however, this is a nice lemon tea, but not what I was hoping for.

On first sniff, this is fig and sweet dirt, tangible and earthy. Lovely! There's also, on occasion, a sharp berry note piping through. Over time, however, the sweetness intensifies, and it's countered by something a bit smoky. This is dark, a comfortable brown scent, with a hint of incense in the background. Sensual, but completely grounded.

This is fascinating. On first sniff, I smell something like patchouli. On the second sniff, root beer and leather! There's a bit of smoke in this as well. Hmm. This is earthy, sweet, smoky. A little spicy, but otherwise, actually very similar to Snake Oil--to my nose, at least. It's a little heavy, but not necessarily masculine. After a while, it takes a bit of a medicinal note, but not so much as to be off-putting.

This is a great scent. I don't envision myself wearing it often, but fans of Snake Oil should definitely check it out.

Hello, kumquat! This is sweet and tart in first application, very fresh and spiked with grapefruit. This doesn't morph on me at all--it stays perfectly juicy, perfectly fresh. Yum!

Mmm. Citrus, clean and very sweet. A hint of flowers behind it, but mostly citrus. There's an aura of warmth around it, and a bit of musk, which bloom over time. The sweetness fades, but only a little. This is pretty, though I keep wanting to compare it to bath gel.

Oooh. This will sound weird, but this blend first reminds me of what it's like to walk into a craft store. It's the dry spice of it, I think--very reminiscent of crackling, decorative wreaths and dusty photo albums. The chamomile pretty much dominates this blend, with my chemistry. As it dries, I get a bit more of the pepper, as well as a hint of sweetness from somewhere. If I concentrate, I can pinpoint the leather, which is surprising--I usually amp leather. This is a fascinating scent, completely contrary to my expectations.

On first sniff, the vetiver is obvious on this, mixing with the musk to create a dark and thick cloud. It's sweet and earthy and almost overwhelming. After a while, the murk clears a little, allowing the sweeter notes to sing. There's an incense note to this, but it's more smoke than resin. There's a bit of spice as well, but it's never a lot, and it's overshadowed by an odd papery note. I wasn't sure what to expect of this blend, but I like it.