kajacana
-
Content Count
1,834 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Posts posted by kajacana
-
-
(2005 version purchased from a forumite)
I always suspected I would like Sugar Skull, and I'm so happy I was right! Smells like brown sugar, and sweet & sticky candied fruit. There's a whisper of something incensey, too - just a hint of something I can't put my finger on that keeps the blend from going foody or sickly sweet (though don't get me wrong, it IS quite sweet).
I really like this one! And it helps that two separate people said "something smells good" and both confirmed, upon smelling my neck, that it was my Sugar Skull
-
holy moly, has anyone tested a new (like recieved within the last week) bottle of hesiods phoenix??
I had a decant that I was obsessed with...it was perfect. so I ordered 3 bottles, which arrived on Friday. I let them rest a day then opened one up - I was heartbroken. instead of the sexy warm sweetness I got from my decant, the bottles (all three) smelled like sour chemicals and alcohol. it's not even recognizable as the same scent to me. I am so sad...I've had batch variations before but nothing to this degree. it doesn't even smell like a bpal - it smells *bad* - like spoiled.
this was supposed to be my new HG. 
eta: i decanted one of the bottles into vials to do some further investigation - the oil is the same color as what's in my decant, but the oil from the bottles is cloudy and full of a really fine sediment. and when i smell them side-by-side, it's like they're not even remotely related. it's almost like one of the components in the bottles went totally bad. ugh.
I got my first bottle of Hesiod's Phoenix back in November; my second bottle in late December; and my final two backups were ordered in late January and just arrived a few days ago.
I agree that there seems to be a batch discrepancy. My first bottle is far and away my favorite; it's rich and heavy on the vanilla. The other bottles smell mostly like it, but lacking depth. I just tested one of my newest backups on my skin and I'm not getting any of the chemicals or alcohol that you described... it doesn't smell off or spoiled to me, but it is certainly different. More powdery, less sweet. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that some aging will help it out.
That really sucks that yours are unrecognizable.
HP is such a beautiful scent, that's a real shame. Maybe let them age for awhile and see if that helps? -
Mary Read is one of my all-time favorites and conveniently a GC. It's not super aquatic, but it definitely has an ocean-y vibe, and a couple aquatic notes (it's "salt air, ocean mist, aged patchouli, sarsaparilla, watered-down rum, leather-tinged musk, and a spray of gunpowder").
Then there's Octopus, from last year's Song of Nature LEs ("Pale moss, white kelp, sea buckthorn berry, ambergris accord, Somalian frankincense, rose geranium, and salt"). That one reminds me of a New England beach in cold weather.
-
Can't figure out how to get the photo here, but here's a link to a photo of Snow White '12 that I just put up on a page on Shutterfly.
-
Speaking of Absinthe...
I haven't tried it yet, but in this year's Lupers there's also Absinthe Bonbon, if you like chocolate blends.
Yes, this!!! I ordered a decant and can't wait to try it.
And another vote for Kyoto, which was mentioned above but I forgot to second. That one is like a floral anise.
-
Absinthe is one of my favorite GCs. It's definitely got the anise factor, but the blend is rounded out with other herbal notes that you may or may not like.
-
White Tea & Sage HG + Shub-Niggurath. Delicious herbal spicy sage ginger deliciousness!
-
Gryffindor - The Lion
Slytherin - Snake Oil
Hufflepuff - This one is tough... there's no badger scent... what about Satyr or something animalistic like that? Could potentially be badgery...
Ravenclaw - The Raven or Night-Raven (yes, I know technically Ravenclaw's animal is an eagle, but there are no eagle scents in the GC that I know of!)
-
Another vote for High-Strung Daisies. Smells almost bubblegummy to me.
In my review spreadsheet I also described Eve as a very pink-smelling floral - it's apple blossom, rose, ylang ylang, & golden honey - so your mileage may vary re: the rose, but might be worth a smell.
-
Got a goblin squirt of this in a recent Post order.
Woah, roses!! It's a very intense rose, and while it's true to the actual flower, it's almost like an exaggerated representation of the real thing - like EXTRA rosy, to the point where it borders on fake (but not in a bad way!). The whole thing just smells like springtime. I get hints of raindrops in a flower garden.
Not really my thing, but glad I got to smell it! Might save this one for one of those days in spring when the windows are open for the first time and the house needs airing out.
-
Start with Snake Oil.
Subtract the weird note that goes powdery-strange (on me).
Make it just a touch more masculine by adding a hint of the slightly smoky, almost cola-like element from Tombstone.
And that's Satyr.
I really, really like this. I don't know what civet smells like so I'm no help there, but it doesn't turn to animal smells (!) or pee (!!!) on my skin, so there's that. Everyone seems to think it's super masculine but I don't know, I'm a girl and I think I could wear this easily.
-
To echo Arylkin's post above, this is basically Gingerbread Poppet + Snake Oil on me.
In the decant: I can smell both.
Wet on skin: The gingerbread takes over. Gingerbread Poppet turns to cinnamon Red Hots candy on my skin, and so does Gingerbread Snake in the wet stage.
Dry on skin: The Red Hots are gone and we're back to predominantly Snake Oil, only it's much more mellow than Snake Oil proper, with the faintest hint of gingerbread spice.
I actually like this better than regular Snake Oil, which tends to go a bit cloying on me. The spices temper that nicely. I'm not a fan of the wet stage, but it's thankfully brief.
-
The overall scent reminds me of a fruit slushy - but NOT the processed, neon kind from a machine - more like a homemade one, made with fresh squeezed juices and fresh snow from outside. It's light and sugary and will still be awesome in warmer weather. Love it!
(Also my very first atmo spray!!)
-
I ordered an imp of The Lion for two reasons:
1. I am recently obsessed with the amber-y Hesiod's Phoenix and wanted to try a GC amber blend, and
2. I'm a zookeeper and I work with lions... enough said!
Well, I'm 2 for 2 with amber blends. They really smell lovely on me, not powdery at all (I've heard that's a problem for some people).
The Lion is:
-not sweet at all
-dry and warm
-subtly spiced (though I'm not smelling the cinnamon others have mentioned)
-light, with very little throw
If you subtract the sweetness and vanilla from Hesiod's Phoenix, you basically get The Lion. I like Hesiod better, but I really like The Lion as well. I think I'd wear The Lion more for quieter times. It's kind of a cozy scent; ideal for reading a book on a cold day, meeting a friend for coffee, watching a movie with a significant other, things like that.
And in case anyone is wondering... as someone who regularly spends a lot of quality time with 10 lions, I can assure you that this blend smells nothing like the real thing - for which I am very grateful!
-
I'm surprised by all the negative reviews because on me this is so pretty!
I get a LOT of aspen from the bottle. On my skin, it's like sweet berries with the faintest background of violet, all over top of something that smells like a forest in late spring. It's light and ethereal and just really gorgeous. I don't think it smells soapy as others have said, but it is a very clean smell. Kind of reminds me of the scent that's left behind after you've washed your hair with some kind of fruity/floral shampoo.
-
Thanks so much Shirel & IceMaiden!! I know they're all pretty similar... just trying to figure out if I want to stock up on backups of Lick It Now 2013 or search out some of the earlier versions.
-
Hey all-
Not sure if this is the right place to ask, but I was wondering if anyone could give me a concise side-by-side comparison of all (or even most) of the Lick It scents? I bought Lick It Now this year, it's the first one I've tried and I really like it. I've tried reading through the review threads for the various versions, but it's hard to tell what the differences really are. Are some more vanilla-y than others? Sharper peppermint? More foody? I would love to know, so if anyone has several different versions and is willing to explain your take on their differences, I'd appreciate it!
-
This scent is very warm... it smells golden (Lab magic strikes again!). I get cedar, and something metallic. When it dries on my skin, it's all polished wood with a subtle background of spice (I can detect the saffron if I concentrate). Reminds me a lot of the wood note in Bezoar, only Progressus smells lower-pitched to my nose, if that makes sense. It's a masculine scent to my nose (though I wouldn't hesitate to wear it myself... I'm just saying, I bet this would smell incredible on a guy!). Really happy I got to try this one!
-
So lovely!
In the bottle: Lots of mint, with a subtle background of lavender. (I don't usually like lavender, but this somehow works for me. It's soft, not at all sharp or medicinal - like a whisper of lavender.) I think I can smell the chamomile in there, too.
Wet on skin: Sweet, light, herbal. The mint mostly fades until it's only there as a subtle supporting role - it lends coolness to the blend, but the honey and raspberry are the standout notes.
Drydown: There's the honeysuckle. Still sweet. Kind of cool and refreshing - would be great for summer. It's VERY light; I have to put my nose right up against my arm to smell it. Will have to try slathering and see what happens!
Verdict: I really like it! Got a bottle as a Christmas present, had never tried it before but was pretty sure I'd like it. Glad I was right
-
This is one of those scents that's hard to break down - it needs to be experienced as a whole.
In the bottle: EXTREMELY soapy, with a hint of cough syrup. I was worried!
Wet on skin: There's the fruit! It's very sweet, and juicy purple. The soapy quality is still there - I assume that's the snow? - but it fades to the background pretty quickly. I hardly get any cardamom, which is sad, as cardamom is one of my favorite notes.
Drydown: It's sweet (but not overwhelmingly so - the snow balances the sweetness); and very clean smelling. The extreme soapiness dies down considerably. It's hard to describe, but definitely good. Kind of gives off a "just took a shower with berry shower gel and now I'm taking a walk in the snow" vibe.
My roommate sniffed the bottle and said it smelled like old lady perfume, and then sniffed my neck and said it smelled delicious. Take that for what it's worth!
-
Lick It Now
in Yules
This is the first Lick It I've tried, and I love it!
In the bottle and when initially applied to my skin, this is pure, strong, cold, candy peppermint. That stage doesn't last very long though - after about 10 minutes it turns into this delicious, soft vanilla. It's a very foody vanilla, like the vanilla flavor you'd find in cake or ice cream.
This one is a keeper - the initial minty stage is an awesome headache remedy, and the drydown is a lovely, comforting winter scent to fall asleep to.
-
(2010 version)
In the bottle I smell sweet, buttery gingerbread. Wet on my skin it changes to cinnamon Red Hots candy. After drydown there's a slight morph back in the gingerbread spice direction - the sharpness of the cinnamon fades and the scent becomes a little more rich, but I still get the Red Hots. There's not much throw and it doesn't last very long.
All that being said...
I like it! I wish it stayed more true to the bottle scent while on my skin, but I don't really mind the amped cinnamon. I've been wearing it to sleep and it makes me feel all cozy and Christmassy.
I can't wait to try this one in my oil burner, I bet it's a wonderful room scent! -
Any ideas? I come across glass swizzle sticks once in awhile but they're way too thick...
I use Dixie stir straws. They come in boxes of 1000. I cut them in half and keep 2 cups in the cabinet with my oils: one full of clean straws and one to hold the used ones. The used straws fill the cabinet with the most delicious scent. I dip an unused straw to the bottom of the 5mL. When I lift it out of the bottle, it retains about 2-3 mm of oil plus a thin coating on the outside of the straw. After dabbing behind my ears, I blow the rest out onto my wrist. Enough for a moderate application without double-dipping or bottle contamination.
Edited b/c applying "2-3 mL" of oil would be a pretty bad idea, I think.
I use plastic toothpicks. I found some that are spear-shaped, and the little plastic triangle on the end is perfect for applying a drop of oil at a time.
-
After a lot of research (i.e. review-reading), I decided to go with Temple of Dreams.If you want to give it a try, I'm pretty sure you could find a goblin squirt of Erebos for sale on the forum (or post an ISO)
Ooh that sounds good as well! Maybe I'll try to find some. I've actually never tried the atmo sprays but I'm curious!
If your top 5 scents are... Then try these!
in Recommendations
Posted · Report reply
The only one I can speak for on this list is R'Lyeh - if it's the grapefruit factor you like, then I would suggest Night-Gaunt for another slightly offbeat take on that note.
My Top 5, if anyone can help!
Mary Read
Obatala
Boo (I have 2009)
Hesiod's Phoenix
Hellcat