Heretic

In the bottle: Sweet and candylike.

On my wrist,wet: Sweet and fruity, like candy, but a deep, purple sweet. This is not cloying, overly sticky bubblegum, but a nice blackberry pastille. A surprise and not what I was expecting at all.

After 20 minutes: What a delicious, rich scent. The blackberry takes the stage, but it is supported by the sage and soft, indistinguishable (to my nose) florals.

After 40 minutes: Bitter Moon is a bit of a morpher, starting out as sweet blackberry and finishing up as an absolutely stunning soft floral, with the final drydown revealing the soft notes of wild roses, tonka, and the barest hint of vetiver to ground this very dignified and sophisticated blend. I am so glad I took a chance and ordered two bottles of this. Even though it is nothing like I expected, Bitter Moon is immediately a favorite and one I shall be stalking for more more bottles. My sincere condolences for those who did not order. This one is a real gem.

I purchased STFU specifically to dress candles for use regarding my neighbors across the street who, for the past nine years, have verbally assaulted my partner and I and called the police on all of the residents of the street for such horrible actions as saying good morning. They threatened us with a gun. Any trash they find in the alley, they throw in our yard. We do not have a driveway, so we park in in the street in front of our house-- this earned repeated complaints from them to our landlord. Neighbors' cats who happen to wander onto their property are sprayed with a hose with much screaming and cursing. This is a seventy year old woman and her 40-something daughter, mind you.

I have mounted an eight-sided mirror above my front door to help bounce negativity back across the street, but when they revert to screaming obscenities at us or making nasty comments at me from the safety of their front porch, I dress a white candle with STFU and plant it outside in a direct line to their front door. I let it burn down and amazingly, they do shut up for long periods of time. I will never be without this blend no matter who my neighbors are.

In the bottle: A little green and whoa lemon verbena!

On my wrist, wet: Lemon verbena.

After 20 minutes: Lemon verbena.

After 40 minutes: Lemon verbena. I must not have seen the word "verbena" in the description or I never would have ordered this. Verbena smells like furniture polish on me and subverts all other notes. Yule was a mistake I should not have made. Off to the sale pile with ye.

In the bottle: Damp green and resinous.

Wet, on my skin: Resinous and earthy-- soft, but deep and complex. There are sweet notes mixed with wood and earth, and something vaguely spicy underneath it all. Gorgeous.

After 20 minutes: Hold on now. What just happened? That lovely, complex blend has turned to well-chewed cinnamon gum and a bit of Hallmark store.

After 40 minutes: Well, The Castle has certainly come to a disappointing end on me. After the morphing to cinnamon gums and candles, it never changes again. I get no moss, no smoky burning leaves, no great ruins crawling with derelict vines and earth. Just chewing gum. A big disappointment-- not for the blend, which sounds like it is fantastic on most people-- here is yet another blend with which my bizarre chemistry refuses to play nice. I wonder what the note is that I've glommed onto in order to ruin this otherwise lovely scent? Alas, The Order of the Dragon scents have not worked well for me by and large.

In the bottle: Sharply resinous and a little sweet.

On my wrist, wet: Orange blossom with the cloying edge removed-- it smells nothing like that first sniff from the bottle.

After 20 minutes: The blossom scent fades quickly and reveals a deep, rich orange scent that is tempered by the majestic grounding of resinous frankincense and the warmth of saffron. It reminds me of a more complex Ra, evoking the essence of the sun at one of its most gentle, yet powerful, stages.

After 40 minutes: Sol Invictus dries down to a soft, warm floral. I get faint traces of amber in the final stage of this blend, mixed with the complex frangipani note and just a touch of orange blossom. This is one of those blends that I was impatiently anticipating-- a sometimes unwise thing to do, because the oil very often does not meet my expectations. In this case, Sol Invictus is everything I wanted and expected the blend to be. It does not have a huge throw, but this type of scent doesn't warrant one-- it's intimate and personal, mature and understated, yet quietly powerful. I absolutely love this blend and will order another two or three bottles before it sets on the not too distant horizon.

In the Bottle: Ah, my beloved vetiver! And some subtle muskiness lurking beneath.

On my wrist, wet: This is lovely. Warm and woody with a little bit of spiciness. The vetiver takes a back seat and lets the other notes come out to play.

After 20 minutes: This is a warm, dark green scent That starts out rather strong and fades quickly to something soft and subtle. The individual notes are all present, but they reveal themselves gently. On my skin, nothing in this blend amps or battles with other notes. It's absolutely gorgeous and I will get another bottle with my next order.

Chaos Theory CCCLXXXIX

In the bottle it's a bit muddy and indistinguishable. What is going on in this bottle?

On my wrist, it turned into pure magic. I thought there was no smell to it at first, but the longr I wore it, the more I realized that this scent is such an extension of me and what I think I smell like that I wasn't registering any scent at all. It's just amazing. What I've got is a deeply personal and pleasing blend of wood, green, and carnation that resonates to my very core. It's subtle, complex, and breathtaking.

I don't know how the hell you did it, Beth, but this is exactly what I wanted. Thank you so much!

Another vote for Lust. It makes me want to hump my own wrist.

In the vial: Cake.

On my wrist, wet: Butter. Not getting any boozy notes.

After 20 minutes: Butter and berries.

After an hour: Berries (with butter). Fortnately, it fades away rather quickly on me so I don't have to scrub it off. In all fairness, I ordered this one for the name. The Closet Monster is an old friend of mine and I should have known better than to order it after having read the description. I do not like food scents and this one is over-the-top sweet and foody. I don't even think I'd put this in a burner to scent a room, so off it goes to someone who likes butter.

In the vial: Sophisticated ladies' perfume.

On my wrist, wet: Heady and fruity with a bit of dryness.

After 20 minutes: A bit of fruit and nut. Reminds me of a very toned-down Sacred Whore of Babylon without the sweetness.

After an hour: Wow. Sheol is a very complex blend. Eventually it dried down to a slightly sharp floral with a lot of body. Very well-blended, so it's difficult to pick out individual notes. Definitely feminine, but not a "pretty floral." Sheol means business. I quite like this once it's dried down.

In the vial: Fresh green, light.

On my wrist, wet: A lovely, substantial aquatic with a very recognizable lily note mellowed and grounded by a grassy green base.

After 20 minutes: This is drying down to a grassy, salty, lily aquatic. I love aquatics, but they all tend to smell the same on me.This one has a little something extra in it.

After an hour: Definitely the most interesting aquatic I've tried. It didn't turn to pure lily and kept its green note through all stages. Olokun is bright, fresh, clean and not at all insipid. It's what I wanted Cthuhlu to be. I'll be picking up a bottle of this one.

In the vial: Green with a slight "men's cologne" note. The oil itself is very viscuous and deep green.

On my wrist, wet: Green and...is there mint in there somewhere? Very earthy and green with some subdued woodiness.

After 20 minutes: This reminds me a little of Lenore, but without the sting of vetiver. A dark, mellow scent that isn't heavy.

After an hour: Oblivion is a difficult blend to describe. It's beautiful, but I wouldn't call it pretty, weighty but not heavy, dark but not dreary. Neither masculine nor feminine. It is a very mysterious scent. I think it would layer very well with Lush's Tramp. Definitely bottle-worthy. A new favorite!

Wunnerful picture, dragoncharmer!

Lycanthrope posted one here, about midway down the page. Hard to see, but I think it's little Squee from the JTHM comics!

Shanghai. It smells like a cup of green tea with a tiny wedge of fresh lemon or ginger. It's incredibly light and clean and so perfect for hot weather.

In the vial: Vaguely almondine.

On my wrist, wet: Sweet amber, warmed with a touch of cinnamon.

After 20 minutes: Soft, warm and golden. I can't distinguish any particular notes here, just a blend of perfectly harmonized notes with a subtle muskiness.

After an hour: The Lion is a beautiful, comforting scent, deep and golden. I do not get any powdery notes from the amber and the components all seem to blend together on me without any one taking precedent over another. A bottle for the next order.

In the vial: Sweet floral.

On my wrist, wet: Sweet and musky-- grounded, smoky, and swarthy honeysuckle.

After 20 minutes: The vetiver in this blend really puts a cap on the sweetness of the honeysuckle. There's also a somewhat spicy bottom note that keeps everything from becoming cloying.

After an hour: Anathema is a surprise honeysuckle scent that ends up being more spicy and warm than white and cloying. I'll definitely use up my imp and see if it grows to bottle-worthy status.

In the vial: Sassafras.

On my wrist, wet: Sassafras and something sharper-- cedar perhaps?

After 20 minutes: A friend of mine used to live out in the state forest on the north edge of the county. Her land that was full of cypress, larch and sassafras trees and I would dig up roots of the latter to make tea. I get that woody, earthy, root beer smell in this blend.

After an hour: I'm your huckleberry: Tombstone's all vanilla root beer on me. A unique and complex scent. I really like this one and will definitely use up the imp-- may even consider a bottle.

In the vial: Light, citrus.

On my wrist, wet: Lemon. Not lemon furniture polish or lemon candy, but a fresh lemon that has just been cut in half.

After 20 minutes: I expected to not like this at all, but it's quite beautiful. Crisp, bright, very clean. It's like a glass of ice water with lemon in it, or a weak glass of green tea with lemon and ginger.

After an hour: Shanghai is a very elegant blend of delicate and graceful scents. This not what I consider "my type" of scent at all, but I may order a bottle because I think it will be perfect for sweltering summer days when something light and crisp is in order. This was a frimp and something I never would have picked out for myself, so thank you, Labbies! Shanghai's a keeper!

In the vial: Coffee grounds?

On my wrist, wet: That coffee candy that comes in lozenge form and a subdued flower. As horrible as it sounds, it's actually lovely.

After 20 minutes: The coffee is very pronounced on me.There's a sophisticated floral being kept respectfully controlled by the coffee note. Very unusual and intriguing.

After an hour: Coffee gives over to the floral bouquet, which is rich and sweet, but not cloying. I'll definitely use up the imp and see how this grows on me. It's lovely.

In the vial: Beth's infamous dirt note, but somewhat subdued.

On my wrist, wet: Dirt and...butter?

After 20 minutes: Dirt, butter and something that wants to be spicy. Rolling up my sleeve, because I don't think I want this on my clothes.

After an hour: Thankfully, the butter faded and I'm left with vaguely spicy dirt. Keen on the dirt, not so much on the spice. I have to day this is my least favorite of the dirt scents, but I'll try it one more time before giving the imp away.

In the vial: Sweet floral-- a white flower or two?

On my wrist, wet: Sweet and floral but not cloying. There's something a little...twisted and green in there.

After 20 minutes: Dark, green, floral. Perhaps a touch of honey? Not a lot of throw, not heavy. A very hushed and quiet scent.

After an hour: This is lovely. House of Night leaves an impression of something that was once bright and vibrant, but from which all the light and joy is gone. This is a personal, introspective fragrance, not one that demands (or even wants) attention. Another bottle-worthy blend.

In the vial: Dry, slightly sweet, green.

On my wrist, wet: Quite piney, slightly sweet.

After 20 minutes: What a surprise! The pine has been supplanted by a slightly spicy violet and a delicate incense.

After an hour: I didn't think I was going to like Wings of Azrael, as it started out a bit too piney for my tastes, but I love the violet incense of the drydown. A wonderful, morphing scent.

In the vial: Dry, very faint, vaguely floral.

On my wrist, wet: Orange blossom and green.

After 20 minutes: Polished wood and the air freshener that my stepfather used to spray in his funeral home. I don't smell any of the components as they are listed. Rose? Lily? Any floral in Hymn is very faint on me and definitely doesn't smell like rose or lily of the valley. This is not a sweet smell. I find it very unsettling.

After an hour: I have too many bizarre associations with this scent to ever be able to wear it. It makes me very uncomfortable. What I smell is definitely not what other people are smelling in Hymn. There is nothing wrong with the blend itself, but rather with my personal experiences with this scent make it extremely unpleasant for me.

In the vial: Lily of the Valley

On my wrist, wet: Cold, slick, aquatic lily with something vaguely grapefruity in the background. This reminds me of a rounder version of Dunwich.

After 20 minutes: This smells almost exactly like Dunwich on me. Perhaps a little saltier. This is not at all a bad thing.

After an hour: Sea of Glass really didn't change much over the course of an hour. It lost a little sweetness which was replaced by a slightly salty tang, but it ended up smelling so much like Dunwich on me that I doubt if I'll buy a bottle of this. Don't get me wrong-- this is a gorgeous scent. If you don't have Dunwich, then avail yourself of Sea of Glass. As I tried this before reading the description, I was hoping for an olfactory interpretation of the other reference to the Sea of Glass in Revelation: "And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire, and them that had overcome the beast, and his image, and the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having the harps of God..."