karykeion

In the decant: Ooh, I hope this works out. I've heard horror stories about vetiver, so I'm nervous, but I like it a lot. On me, wet: CARDAMOM AND PEPPER AND SMOKE YES HELLO. This is mostly cardamom on me with some tobacco and pepper; I'm not sure I'm getting a whole lot of vetiver. ...Oh, there's the vetiver, I found it. Yeah, vetiver is definitely what made me think The Balcony smelled a little like wet dog, but without the florals, I think it works better. It's walking the line between deliciously spicy-smoky and "nope" as it dries down. It's kind of like wearing a fire. I LOVE it. On me, dry: Yep, still love it. Probably not going to wear it enough to warrant a bottle, but definitely finishing the decant.

In the decant: Light, green, and minty. OK, I'll go with it. On me, wet: My first thought is, WOW that's got some throw, and that throw is MINTY FRESH. The vanilla comes out after a while, though, and tempers the green-ness and mint so it doesn't smell so much like high-end toothpaste. Also, I'm getting the wood and sage now. I'm liking this a lot more as it dries down, I'm just not sure WHEN I'd wear it. ...And after about half an hour it becomes The Vanilla Show and pretty much turns, straight up, to baby powder. You know, maybe my skin just wants vanilla to turn into baby powder. On me, dry: Nope, don't think so. It was really interesting right at the beginning, but then, baby powder 100%. Dang it.

In the decant: Ooooh, this has the rain/storm notes from Oceanus Procellarum, but there's a warmth to it! I love Oceanus Procellarum and I'm so excited. On me, wet: Oh no, that's really soapy. Procellarum doesn't go soapy on me, but at first this pretty much smells like stormy air and cleaning products. And it isn't getting better at all. On me, dry: I didn't find out because I washed it off. No length of time smelling that much like Windex was worth whatever it would have dried down to. I'm really disappointed, but at least I have About Midnight.

In the decant: Vanilla and wood. It's classy and I like it. On me, wet: Everything rather abruptly takes a backset to the vanilla. It's kind of the vanilla show right after it goes on with some interesting cedar backup. In retrospect, I think I actually like cedar--this reminds me of Cordelia. The cedar backs off and the sandalwood comes in after, I think, but the vanilla is still loudest. Frankincense picks up around the same time and, like...I really like this. It's very vanilla, but not too foody. The woods balance it out very nicely. On me, dry: Vanillic wood with frankincense. I'm not quite sure I like it on me, but it's really stunning as a perfume. It's getting a full test soon.

No amber or honey in this one to turn to powder or weird nonsense on me! Let's see how it goes. In the decant: Cherry-sweet almond blossom, a bit of vanilla, and something soft in the background that I assume must be the mimosa. Also, turns out I like mimosa! On me, wet: The vanilla cream pops out more, and the cherry blossom and mimosa mix together better. This turns about ninety percent vanilla cream right after it goes on, and I think this is one of the cutest things I've ever tested. It's so sweet and soft! Also, mimosa is an interesting floral--I wasn't sure how I'd feel about it because I'm not actually sure I've ever smelled a mimosa, but I like it fine, and it tempers the cherryish smell of the almond blossom really well, I think. On me, dry: Vanilla cream and mimosa; the almond blossom is mostly gone. It's very cute, but a little powdery. I like it fine.

In the decant: ...Delicious sweet potato pie? This is odd. I can pick out the vanilla, patchouli, lemongrass, and coconut on their own, but all together, that's definitely some kind of autumn pie, like sweet potato or particularly spicy pumpkin pie. On me, wet: Patchouli and lemongrass come out REAL fast, and it's mostly those two and vanilla and maybe a little coconut, which is super interesting! I'm glad this isn't that one coconut note from Body, Remember and Lovers and a Fan that turns into plastic on me. This smells like the same patchouli that's in Vixen, actually, and I'm kind of excited to see how it dries. On me, dry: I really like this. It's mostly lemongrass, amber, patchouli, and coconut with not a whole lot of vanilla, and it kind of just remind me of what I liked about Ivory vulva. It's got decent throw and it's salty-spicy and just a little bit sweet. Definitely using up the decant, if not getting a bottle.

I'm really excited about this fruit + cardamom combo after Venus Obsequens. In the decant: A veritable army of apricots. On me, wet: Apricot and...smoky? Maybe that's cardamom? Soft apricot and cardamom. I think I was expecting this to be spicer, but I like it fine. On me, dry: Okay, well, this is weird. It smells like...dusty apricots. I'm getting the apricot and the cardamom, and they're good, but there's something else in here that isn't playing nicely. I assume it's the bourbon vanilla, but it doesn't really smell like bourbon or vanilla to me, so i'm not sure what's going on here. It's a soft, unobtrusive apricot scent, and I feel kind of "eh" about it. Probably going to give this another go, since Lovers and a Fan was really odd this afternoon too and I think I'm just having a weird skin day, but I don't really think it'll be my favorite.

Let's play Will This Honey Turn To Powder On Me. In the decant: ...I actually don't know that I'm a fan, pun totally 100% intended. I can see how there's coconut and saffron in here, but it just kind of smells like plastic to me. On me, wet: It kind of smells like nail polish. Oh dear. Like, I can see that there is coconut in here, but...nail polish. Then again, that's how I felt about Body Remember, which I guess means that they share the same coconut note and that coconut note does not like me at all. It's not turning to powder, though, so...there's that. On me, dry: Okay, well, it stopped smelling so horrible, but I think I'm just destined not to be friends with this one coconut note. The honey doesn't turn to powder, though, which is nice. I'm going to give this another test because I think my skin is being weird today, but as it stands, I don't think so.

This totally caught me off guard with how much I love it. It's so unlike anything else I wear and it's SO pretty in the decant--I kind of sniffed everything right away when the order came without really looking at the labels, and when i got to this one, it was like "Holy crap, what is THAT?" So, it's getting a quick test before my friend's bachelorette party. In the decant: IN CASE YOU WERE WONDERING, THERE WAS APPLE IN THIS, YES, APPLE, HELLO and also fruity-spicy. I liiiiiiike iiiiiiit. On me, wet: It's the Apple Show for a little bit, and then the cardamom comes out, and WOW. I'm not really getting any honey, but I like the apples-and-sweet-spice thing it's got going on. It almost reminds me of Cuélebre, weirdly enough. And OOOH OOH WHAT IS THAT? WHAT is THAT? Is that blackcurrant? What is going on with that? This is amazing. The apple quits being so sweet, I'm really liking whatever the cardamom and what I'm assuming is blackcurrant are doing, and there apparently isn't enough honey in this to turn it to powder. This is getting SO many full test runs. On me, dry: The honey is trying really hard to be powdery, but I feel like the apple and cardamom aren't letting it. Cardamom really makes this. I didn't even know I liked cardamom before now. This just keeps getting better every single time it changes. It's drying a little sweeter than that initial burst of scent that I like, and now it still reminds me of Cuélebre, but, like, a cute version. So, yeah, I might need a bottle of this. Or at least some backup decants. Oh man.

This is probably the Shunga I was most excited about, and I am really hoping it doesn't let me down. In the decant: Mostly honey, plum, and vanilla. I'm a little nervous about this; I love honey, but nine times out of ten it turns to baby powder, and i REALLY don't want that to happen because I love tea scents so much. On me, wet: Ooh, very nice. Honey and vanilla to me, mostly, and...there's a really prominent note that I guess must be the green tea, but it doesn't really smell like green tea to me? Ah, and there goes the honey turning to baby powder. Come on! No! On me, dry: Oh, there's the tea! I'm not getting a whole lot of honey or plum except right up close to the skin--Ooh. It did a thing, and now it smells really sexy. The honey quit smelling so much like baby powder, and I think the ambergris showed up. Oh goodness. It's understated, but I really like it. I'm not sure it's bottle-worthy yet, but I'm really going to love the imp as an office perfume.

I'm SO curious about "crushed diamond accord". In the decant: Mostly gardenia and patchouli with a little honeysuckle. I'm not getting a whole lot of amber and I can't say I've ever sniffed a diamond. On me, wet: Very floral with a little bit of patchouli! I like this, but I feel like it's a little more normal high end perfume than most. I get more amber as it starts to dry down, and it's a little powdery, but the honeysuckle is starting to come out more, and that's what I bought the blend for, so I have high hopes! On me, dry: Wow, this dries down really fast. I'm getting mostly amber and some gardenia and not a whole lot else. It's pretty, but really understated, and I'm not really sure when I'd want to wear it. I think I'm going to give this one full run, but it's not really grabbing me like I thought it would.

A tribute to the opium den cum bawdyhouses of Shanghai in the 1930’s. Golden amber, blonde tobacco, Sudanese black coconut, rich caramel, black currant, white opium and delphinium laced with a sensual blend of Asian spice. 2015 version! I'm a little nervous about this because I'm starting to think amber might not agree with me, but here goes. In the decant: Whoa. Caramel, tobacco, and delphinium. That sure is a combination of things. Also, huh, I guess I like delphinium? On me, wet: Kind of spicy right away. I really, really like it. It stays really close to the skin, and I'm mostly getting caramel, spices, and a little bit of coconut. I really, REALLY hope this keeps up. I don't know if I need a bottle, but I might wear nothing but this imp for a while, provided nothing goes wrong. It almost reminds me on the drydown of what I liked about Dracul, which worries me because Dracul ended in musk and sadness. On me, dry: Okay, so the note that broke Blossoms in Springtime was in fact amber. That makes so much more sense. It's here in spades, and I think I amp it. This is really lovely caramel, spices, a little floral, and a TON of slightly coconutty amber. I think until now I geninely thought amber and musk were the same thing. I like this, but I'm afraid the amber will knock out all the other notes and steal their change. Definitely getting a full run and I will think very seriously about a bottle if all goes well.

I'm really excited about this! I don't know what I'm expecting "marshmallow root" to smell like, but I'm intrigued. c: In the decant: Oh, wow, yeah, that does smell kind of buttery. I'm getting mostly marshmallow and cream. On me, wet: Nine thousand percent marshmallow and macadamia milk. It calms down and stops being so buttery after it dries a little, and now I'm getting mosly macadamia and coconut and...something a little spicy? I didn't expect that and I really like it. Oh my god, was there secretly ginger in this? Best surprise ever! I wasn't a huge fan of this when it first went on; I like foodies, but not too foody, so this was nice but not wowing me. That spiciness is making this so much more interesting On me, dry: This is just the right amount of amber. It balances out the coconut and marshmallow perfectly and smells amazing and slightly spicy next to the skin. I think I might give this a full test drive, but I'm not sure a bottle is in my future because the throw is so buttery and that's not really my thing. The decant is probably gonna get used up, though.

I'm really curious to see how this goes, because I only realized after I ordered it that it's kind of in the same family as A Variety of Pleasing Amusements and Feed Me/Fill Me, both of which I wear all the time. It's got honey, patchouli, vanilla, and leather, so if I buy this, I'm going to have to figure out when the hell I'm going to wear it as opposed to one of the other two. I have no idea how to pick labdanum out of a blend and I've never tried anything with saffron in it, so here we go. In the decant: Honey, patchouli, and leather mostly. I'm comparing with both FMFM and Variety, since they're so similar. It's sweeter, woodsier, and more honey-forward than Variety and more complex but less intense than FMFM. I really like what I assume is the saffron; it makes the blend kind of spicy-sweet and really interesting. On me, wet: Oooh. The saffron kind of makes this a warmer scent than the other two. i think it's mostly saffron with a little honey and wood vanilla. It's almost more of an autumn-y scent than a spring one. The honey kind of takes over right after, but I don't mind because I am always and forever on the lookout for honeys that don't turn into baby powder. On me, dry: Kind of sweet and woodsy, but I think the honey went a little powdery. Also, I can't really pick amber out of a blend, but if it smells anything like musk, I think I might amp it a little bit. I like this fine, but I don't really see how it's different enough from Variety and FMFM to warrant a bottle. The imp will probably get a lot of love, though. c:

Thanks to Fright for the decant! Oh god, I really want this to work. Beeswax and honeysuckle, say it ain't so. In the decant: Very leafy and hemp with this strong sweet undertone. Not quite what I was expecting, less honey-flowers and more hemp, but I can deal with it! On me, wet: This basically smells like sniffing a honeysuckle bush on a spring day. There's something about it that I can tell is going to get kind of sharp, which I'm really afraid is the honey--I think it might be time for me to just give up and admit that BPAL's honey note does something wrong on me no matter how much I want to smell like honey. The hemp kind of punches me in the face after a while, but that's not all there is--there's a creaminess to it that I think is coming from the beeswax. On me, dry: Yeah, it did that sharp thing. I like the beeswax and hemp combination. I can't smell the blackcurrant at all. I'm not sure how I feel about this; it's either fantastic or a really bad idea and probably deserves another test or two like Angry Crab.

Thanks to Fright for the decant! In the bottle: Cologne. I mean, really great cologne, to be sure, and cologne that really does smell like ocean, but cologne to a degree where I know I'm going to walk outside and people's first reactions aren't going to be "Who smells like ocean?", they'll be "DAMN THAT'S SOME COLOGNE". On me, wet: Yeah, cologne. It's not even that I'm against manly scents, it's that I feel like this actually just smells like a man's scent I'd find at the mall, and I smell like I tried on something of my dad's because I'd never worn perfume before and wanted to try, or something. The cologniness calms down after a few seconds, though, and the whole thing gets kind of sweet and more oceany, which I like! It calms down and blossoms into this nice salty smell that's still cologne but a little more salty and green and sea air, and I am digging it. On me, dry: Nope, I don't think so. It's a shame, I REALLY liked it about 10 minutes after it went on, but it's doing something not good. Musky, slightly saltly green cologne. I think this would be stunning on someone with the right chemistry, but it wasn't what I was looking for. I'm probably going to give it another test run or two since my hormones have been weird lately.

One of the two, the other being Voodoo, that I fell in love with during Dragon Con. Here's hoping it still works after Shark Week is over. In the imp: Coconut and hazelnut. I think it's the hazelnut that makes this smell different from every other coconut scent and doesn't make me think of suntan lotion. Yes good. On me, wet: Oh my goodness. Soft, coconutty, kind of smells like wood? I love this so much, because I love ocean smells but they're all terrible on me. This one is just really strongly evocative of the beach without having every usual beach fruit in it. There's something kind of fresh and clean about it that I'm really enjoying. Also, hi, iris! I like you in things! This gets more hazelnut and white musk as it dries, I think. It's also starting to fade quickly. On me, dry: Really, really nice. Not as bottle-worthy as I thought, but the imp is getting a lot of love--it's sort of a musky, vaguely coconut scent that does remind me of the ocean but doesn't a) have to use gratuitous amounts of coconut or pineapple to do it or make me smell like hand soap. Success.

First review in a while, I got a lovely winter haul. Thank you TrailerTrashPrincess for the decant! In the imp: THAT'S BLACK TEA. I'm so happy, I order so many oils because they have tea notes listed and I love tea and would love to smell like it, but I can never ever discern the note. That right there is black tea. Also rose, and I think cinnamon? Now all I need is for the rose not to go to crap on my skin--I kind of ordered this praying "rose water" and "rose" are different notes. On me, wet: Oh my god, that's delicious. That smells like spicy black tea. It's vaguely foody, I guess because of the spices. The rose is sort of sharp, but I really like it. Like, bottle like it. The rose is starting to come out more, but even though it's punching me in the face a little bit it's not doing that weird awful fried chicken thing it's done before. On me, dry: Oh my goodness wow that's rose. Most of the black tea smell is gone, which I'm sad about, and what's left is a kind of sharply spicy warm rose that I'm not sure about. I think I like it, though, and it's getting a full test run for sure.

Vanilla-infused amber, leather, beeswax, cyclamen, oakmoss, peru balsam, orange blossom, red ginger, tonka, opoponax, myrrh, and black pepper. I saw beeswax, ginger, vanilla, and a note from Vixen, and I said yes. Decanted by Little Bird! In the decant: Wow. That's like...thick and creamy and angry all at the same time. On me, wet: Huh, I'm not sure how I feel! It's so interesting and different, peppery and red, but still creamy somehow. ...Oh my god, what is that? Is that the orange blossom? What's it doing? It needs to never stop. ...Oh wow, hi, pepper! Oh jeez, this is such an interesting blend, I can't get over it. I'm not even sure I like it that much, but it just pulls off the concept so perfectly! It's so warm and creamy and fiery at the same time. The vanilla and orange blossom come out more as it dries, and they almost do that thing where they join Wonder Note powers and take the form of Snake Oil, except they don't because there's no patchouli in here. On me, dry: Warm creamy pepper, amber, and ginger. It's basically a blend of a bunch of other things I love--it's got notes from Vixen (which turns into Snake Oil on my skin), No. 93 Engine, Dracul, and Variety of Pleasing Amusements, and it manages to stand apart from all of them. I'm not sure how I feel about it. it could definitely be one of those blends I love that actually smell terrible on me and I just don't notice, so I'll get some second opinions, but in the meantime I'm REALLY happy with it and it definitely lived up to what I was expecting.

Thanks to Little Bird for decanting! In the decant: Son of a biscuit. This is the one I wasn't really sure about, because I VERY RARELY do well with musk, and now I'm wishing I hadn't, because I'm setting myself up for heartbreak. This is so gorgeous, fruity and oceanic and perfect and I just know it's going to turn into musk and destroy my soul. Damn you, Kiyohime, you temptress. On me, wet: Plants, ocean, and a little bit of lychee. I almost don't want to sniff it anymore. I don't want be there for the inevitable heartwrenching moment when the green musk decides it's not going to let this love affair go on. The black plum comes out some as it dries. Also, this is totally the sea spray note from Liadain and Curithir, isn't it? Oh god, I'm so in love, and this is so terrible, and I need a scent locket, why do I not have a scent locket. ...And then musk. Yep. That happened. The glittering, perfect sea serpent has begun to transform into the Princess of Musk. Goodbye, sweet Kiyohime. You played with my heart, and I let you. I regret nothing. On me, dry: ...The musk seems to have backed off. Hmmmmmmm. Going to test again a few more times. Maybe the Musk-a-thon is just a phase in Kiyohime. It never quite dries back into those glorious, perfect opening notes, but it's not just "musk and maybe some flowers" anymore. I must experiment further.

I just know this is going to break my heart, since I've been lusting after it for ages. Thanks to Little Bird for the decant! In the decant: Chocolate and sea salt. Me gusta. On me, wet: ...Yep, chocolate and salt water. I'm actually daring to get my hopes up and love this. The sea smells like sea and not soap or dryer sheets, and my skin does great with chocolate, and they're coming together to form my favorite smells and tastes (i have a HUGE salt tooth in addition to my sweet one) dong a happy little dance together. ...Oh wait, I lied, there's some soap. And it was going so well! The chocolate is still nice, though. Something in here reminds me of the note from Body, Remember that made me think of nail polish, which is not so great, but it's backing off a little and the blend is now mostly just chocolates and salt. On me, dry: Dries back into chocolate and seawater, what do you know! The weird nail polish note is gone, leaving me with sweet, dark chocolate and salty, briny, dark water. Cthulhu in love indeed. I was really concerned that this wouldn't work, but it came around in the end!

Decanted by Little Bird, thank you! In the decant: Adorable and candy-sweet. I can smell all three parts, and I love them--I recognize the quince from Alice's Evidence, and Asian pear is one of my favorite fruits. On me, wet: Softer than I thought it would be. The ginger doesn't dominate as much as I thought it would. As a matter of fact, most of what I'm smelling is sugary Asian pear with a nice backdrop of gingery spice and quince. Ginger comes out to play a little later, though, and as ginger is my skin's best friend, it perks up the blend nicely, whereas it'd come off as so shy before! Oh whoa, that sure is some ginger. I barely smell the Asian pear anymore, but that's what you get from a blend where the ginger is in the name, right? It's such a cute blend, sweet and peppy and exactly like the description says--"zingy". On me, dry: Yep, ginger and quince. Asian pear is pretty much gone. A fun, sweet little scent I'm definitely going to hang onto.

STUPID CONFESSION TIME: This is why I wanted this blend. Thank you, evanescence, for unwittingly indulging the Jurassic Park fangirlism that started when I was like seven and never stopped. In the decant: Oh wow, that's so interesting! Soft and lightly earthy and clovey. On me, wet: It's...it's so cuddly. It's all down to earth and soft and vaguely lightly sweet. This is kind of smoky and kind of woodsy, and a little spicy, and almost sweet, and pretty much exactly what being out in the woods smells like. Granted, I have never taken it upon myself to smell a bird before, but I kind of understand what people mean when they say this is "feathery"--there's something light and soft and tickly about it. It's a cross between woodsy and kind of adorable. On me, dry: Yep, soft and adorable and woodsy. I'm not getting any vanilla, but there's a hint of carnation in here, and I think that's what's making it all cuddly. Not sure I'll wear it often, but...n'aww, baby raptors birds.

Decanted graciously by Evanescence. I saw this and could not hold myself back, as honey is my vice just as much as aquatics are, and with ginger? And thyme? SIGN. ME. UP. In the decant: HONEY GINGER GARDENIA YES and then...scent memory of Sweethearts. The ones that taste like chalk. Oh god, shit, I can't unsmell it. On me, wet: Thank god, not sweethearts anymore! These are the honeys from Womb Furie, aren't they? It smells like the same onslaught of gorgeous honeys. I'm not getting a lot of ginger, but the jasmine and gardenia are perfect in this blend and keep it smelling like honey rather than like generically sweet, vaguely powdery whatever, which is what my skin likes to do to BPAL's honey note no matter how much I love it and like to pretend it isn't true. I mostly smell like honey and gardenias and jasmine, still not getting much ginger or thyme. On me, dry: Wow, does jasmine do this in every blend? Because that is a lot of jasmine. I mean, I really love the honey notes and I think jasmine and gardenia were ultimately good things to put with honey, but I kind of wanted at least a little ginger, or thyme, or...more honey? I will say that the honey did not turn into powder, for which I am grateful. It's not that I don't like the smell of jasmine, it's that I'd kind of like to smell other things. I'll love my tiny sniffie, though--honeys that don't powder are glorious things.

Thank you, evanescence!! In the decant: ...It smells like honey-sweet cigarettes. I'm not sure I want to smell like that. Proceeding with caution. On me, wet: Wow, I'm entirely unsure how I feel about this. It smells like...sweet...danger. Like innocent sweetness with badass underneath it. The tobacco luckily isn't kicking in as much on my skin as it could have, so I don't smell like secondhand smoke. The scent is thick and deep and syrupy and kind of intriguing. Oooooooh, is that the leather? Oh my goodness I like. I like a lot. The tobacco is coming back out, but not to the extent that I smell like cigarettes, and the leather is helping this not happen by being louder and sexier. On me, dry: Dark and sweet. This is actually exactly what I wanted and expected Nyarlathotep to smell like. I like it, but I'm on the fence about whether I need a bottle or not. It's getting a full test and some second opinions, but for now I am pleased.