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mandragora

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Everything posted by mandragora

  1. mandragora

    Medea

    In the imp: Perfumey, resiny floral. Smells vaguely familiar. Wet on me: The florals bloom, little sweet, little powdery. Drydown: Well blended scent. Beautiful, sophisticated floral blend with a hint of cypress and myrrh. Verdict: Very perfumey, intoxicating but at the same time it is not headache-inducing nor it is cloying. Lovely, lovely floral. It's a "pretty" scent and it would be perfect to wear during formal dress-up date night. I'll be keeping the imp for sure. eta: Still cannot remember what it smells like, bah!
  2. mandragora

    Lightning

    In the imp: Sharp, brisk smelling ozone. Wet on me: Turns "blue" aquatic. Very refreshingly clean smell. Drydown: Fresh aquatic with slight tang. Smells like the aftermath of a thunderstorm. Verdict: Another winning ozone scent. But I think this would be more suitable for hubby.
  3. mandragora

    Fae

    In the imp: Smells bright and lightly sweet. Wet on me: Sweet and fresh-smelling. Slightly fruity, bergamot and peach blending nicely. Drydown: White musk emerges and rounds out the scent. Verdict: Lovely fresh-smelling blend. The imp is a keeper.
  4. mandragora

    Tum

    In the vial: Smelled like fermenting grapes. Wet on me: No not grape, prunes. It's almost like biting into a prune or taking grape-flavored cough syrup . Drydown: It morphs into herbs and spices. The fruity sweetness just hovers in the background. Verdict: Interesting, but not me. To the trade pile it goes.
  5. mandragora

    Parlement of Foules

    One more time, I had to try a rose scent, just because Beth created it and sounded so lovely from the reviews. In the bottle: Smells sharp and strong boozy. :checks the label a second time to make sure that I have not mistakenly opened the Smut bottle:. Nope, it says Parlement of Foules, perservering on. Wet on me: Booziness dissipates and turns softer, more incensey. Myrrh? Drydown: A spicy, incense-y scent with faint rose traces and hints of booziness peeking through. Feels warm and heavy. Verdict: A complex scent for sure, but I'm just not feeling it. Alas, I'm proven once again that me and roses can not get along. Now what am I gonna do with this bottle? Love the label, not so much the oil.
  6. mandragora

    Night's Pavilion

    In the bottle: Clean white floral. Where's the fruity yummyness from the first reviews? Wet on me: There's a sharpness that surrounds the floral scent. The frankincense? Drydown: Sweet, incensey florals with the white musk giving it a slight powdery note. It'slike standing under a canopy of flowers on a moonlit night. No fruity, no aquatic, just straight up white floral scent for me. Weird body chemistry, I smite you. Verdict: A bit too floral and romantic for me for regular use. But I'm still keeping a bottle and swapping the other (I impulsively bought 2).
  7. mandragora

    Danube

    Rhododendron and bellflower petals swirl through deep, cool, dark aquatic notes. Smells "blue". Very aquatic with a hint of floral and fruity yumminess. This is like a more potent yet still refreshing version of Pele. Mind you they don't smell the same, they just evoke the same feeling on me. And Danube has lasting power too (unlike the Houdini act that Pele does when applied on my skin). Lovely and a keeper. Maybe even a bottle in the future. eta: Hubby just gave his stamp of approval on Danube. Definite bottle.
  8. mandragora

    Dublin

    In the vial: Cloyingly sweet floral. Wet on me: Ooh, green and piney notes temper the sweet floral smell. Drydown: Smells like wet green forest. A fir/pine forest ... during winter. There's a mint note that lingers. The notes continually morphs and gives a more complete overall feel to the blend. Verdict: Lovely scent. I like it, not enough to purchase a bottle but will definitely keep the imp.
  9. mandragora

    Glasgow

    In the vial: Light fruity sweetness. Must be the blackberry. Wet on me: Smells refreshing ... hmm, soap? Hey, where'd the berry go? Drydown: Yep, smells like a bath soap. A floral scented bath soap. Fresh from the shower using a girly-girl soap smell. Later on: Heather takes over and gives other notes no chance. Verdict: Don't see myself wearing this one. Waay too floral. To the swaps it goes.
  10. mandragora

    Kuang Shi

    In the vial: Sharp almost piney. Wet on me: Piney. Oh wait, drats, pencils shavings. This is not good. Drydown: Pencil shavings gone! Thank goodness. It mellows, turns musky with a very faint traces of the orange. Hardly any mango. Almost minty, but mint is not listed as a note Verdict: A complex blend. Lovely drydown despite the off-putting pencil shaving start. I'm keeping this and may give this a second try.
  11. mandragora

    Ultraviolet

    In the imp: Sharp, metallic scent. Predominantly eucalyptus. Wet on me: Aah, there's the violet. Not really a big fan of it though. Drydown: Lab description is right on the money. Electrifying violet this is. Much later: Wintry smelling, like frozen moonless night inside a pine forest. Violet very faint. Verdict: As lovely as this scent is, I'm not really a fan. I don't think I would want to wear this. Off to the swaps with ye.
  12. mandragora

    Szepasszony

    ... A chilly, tempestuous whirlwind of clear, airy notes, slashing rain, and a thin undercurrent of white flowers. In the imp: Very crisp and very fresh with a hint of fruity(?) sweetness. Wet on me: Aquatic and ozone-y, like the beach after a big storm. Drydown: If you can smell the color Blue, then this is how it would smell. There's a note in there that reminds you a bit of laundry soap but not enough to turn me off. Verdict: This definitely merits a big bottle. :nod:
  13. mandragora

    The Perfumed Garden

    In the vial: Sweet, spicy and fruity, apple peel and citron. Wet on me: Oooh, pretty. Fruitiness tempered by sandalwood and myrrh. Drydown: Very nice, very complex, the scent becomes sparkly sweet with a musky undertone. Yes, this is a musk that works with my body chemistry. This scent proves that I can take musk in very small doses. 20 mins later: Very clean smell that is similar to Dirty. Verdict: A definite keeper. This scores 4.5 out of 5.
  14. mandragora

    Smut

    I ordered a bottle despite my reservations about the musk and booze notes. How can you resist a scent with a name like Smut? In the vial: Sweet and boozy. Wet on me: The sweet boozy note persists. Scent evokes the image of spending the whole night between the sheets behaving in wild abandon. Drydown: The booze note softens (thank goodness!), morphs into a musky vanilla that is both golden and slinky. 20 mins later: Goodness, this is just divine. The scent just keeps morphing between the sweet booze and musky vanilla notes. Verdict: Smut lives up to it's name. I'm glad I got the bottle.
  15. mandragora

    Snake Oil

    I must admit that Snake Oil has me intrigued since day one. Having seen this oil recommended left and right as the penultimate Sexeh scent of BPAL, I must see what the fuss is all about. In the vial: It is smokey, musky and lightly intoxicating. On me: it turns to a gorgeous boozy, vanilla. Drydown: the vanilla softens and the smokey, spicyness returns. Very seductive smell. 20 mins later: Alas, the musk turns into a powdery smell. Verdict: Like the most other reviews, I think Snake Oil needs to be aged before it could be fully appreciated. I'll come back and report a month from now.
  16. mandragora

    Sugar Skull

    In the vial: Smells like brown sugar or maple syrup. Wet on me: Still maple syrup, but stronger and with a bit of a bite at the end. Drydown: There's a bit of a tartness, maybe it's the candied fruits. But ultimately it's all sugar on me. Verdict: I like sugar in cookies, in my coffee but not on me. Sadly this one belongs in my swap pile.
  17. mandragora

    Les Infortunes de la Vertu

    In the vial: Initial thought, very soapy, would smell great on a guy. Wet on me: Doesn't change much from the bottle. Orange blossom, leather and incense. Drydown: Now this isn't so masculine anymore. Lovely, smokey leather and floral but still smells fresh at the same time. Verdict: I like it. Might have to try it on hubby next time.
  18. mandragora

    Love Me

    In the vial: Strong incense. Wet on me: Smells like coca-cola . Sweet florals are coming out. Musky, incense-y floral. Drydown: And there's the spicy cinnamon note. Verdict: Very warm and sultry scent.
  19. mandragora

    Grandmother of Ghosts

    In the vial: Smells earthy and spicy. Wet on me: Spicy and musky floral, the peony is coming out. Drydown: Very green earth, like the wet mossy ground in the forest. Turns slightly peppery. Unusual scent. It's nice but not quite my style.
  20. mandragora

    Peitho

    Wet on my skin, Peitho reminds me so much of Phantasm that I actually looked at the label twice to make sure I got the right imp. Same citrusy, jasmine note. On the drydown, Peitho is creamier, sweeter and more lush. It stays close to the skin. Very lovely and feminine. To me, Peitho is an older, stronger and lustier version of Phantasm. I like it, but since I already have a bottle of Phantasm, I see no use in keeping the imp.
  21. mandragora

    Dragon's Blood

    Had high hopes for Dragon's blood. Very intrigued by it's description and I loved Dragon's Heart. And Dragon's Blood did not dissapoint. It's a very strong, sweet floral with a metallic tang to it. Surprisingly for a strong floral, it's not cloying. Drydown, it's a full, warm, resin-y floral. This scent is indeed powerful and commanding. Conclusion: Another winner from the Ars Draconis blends.
  22. mandragora

    Dragon's Bone

    Wet on me: Very warm and dry scent. Dusty even. Dragon's blood a dominant note. Drydown: Sweet and potent floral with the woods rounding out the blend. I've tried a couple of the Ars Draconis scents, both of them smelled great on me. And I'm finding that Dragon's Bone is no exception.
  23. mandragora

    Water of Notre Dame

    In the vial: Ooh, aquatic. Smells blue-ish green. Wet on me: Powdery aquatic (is there such a thing?). And if you inhale closely, citrusy, like lemon rind. Drydown: Very fresh, clean smelling and a bit tart. Verdict: Lovely aquatic and quite relaxing. I'll be keeping the imp.
  24. mandragora

    Spellbound

    Wet on the vial: I smell amber. Very warm and dry. On my skin: Roses and musky. Two notes I'm most wary of because they rarely work with my chemistry. Drydown: Will wonders never cease , a scent with rose and red musk that actually smelled good on me. Hubby gave it his stamp of approval (which is to pull my wrist back and bury his nose in it ). Spellbound is evocative and verrah, verrah sexy.
  25. mandragora

    Black Phoenix

    I agree with cupide430's post above. At first sniff, I thought cherry liqueor. Very strong and potent. On application, there's boozy cherry and almonds. Drydown, it turned sort of powdery, but nice powdery. Very intriguing scent. But it's not me.
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