Diva Urd

In the vial: WHOA SUPER FRUITY! I get a lot of pomegranate and mango. Pom sadly often goes to sweatsocks on me, and this seems very sweet... but hey, won't know until I try. On: Pomegranate and mango. Still very sweet. The fruit don't smell artificial or anything, but... this may be a bit too fruity for me. I can wear SOME fruits without feeling uncomfortable, but pomegranate doesn't tend to be one of them even if it doesn't turn on me. Red fruit in general tend to be a bit iffy. Later: Pomegranate and musk. Not terrible, but still a bit fruity-red in nature to appeal to me. For someone who loves red fruit in general and poms in particular, check this one out. I'll keep my tester around since it does actually smell decent on me (maybe I can train myself out of this hangup!), but I don't need more for now.

In the vial: I'm getting a mixture of something lemony (likely the verbena) and almond. The other notes aren't all that noticeable while in the vial. On: Strong lemon verbena with a bit of a creamy-almondy background. This smells like candy to my nose. Sticky lemon candy and something creamy. Later: Well, this changed quite a bit! There is only a tiny bit of lemony smell left in the background, overlaid by a creaminess (almond milk & cocoa butter? It smells more of the latter at this stage). There might also be some resiny notes, although those stay in the background. It stays the strongest of all the butterflies and moths I've tried and it ends up pretty decent, but the initial, VERY lemony stage was not my case, I'm afraid.

In the vial: WOW caraway! I also get the sting of black pepper. This smells like a spice rack with a few flowers nearby. On: The flowers have fled. It's now CARAWAY! and PEPPER! It certainly doesn't smell BAD (I love the smell of a good spice rack), but I generally don't relish walking around whilst smelling like one myself. This scent does make me crave a good curry though Later: Still spicy, but now, there seem to be some flowers! This is now rather interesting, although I don't know that I would leave the house while the scent is in its initial stage of SPICE RACK! So, I don't think I'll need more of Brahmin.

In the vial: Oh yes, there's the castoreum accord - I hope it won't be as scary in here as it was in "Minamoto no Yorimitsu." There's an effervescent fruitiness to this, as well - smells like musky soda On: A smidge of lime, a little bit of plum, some florals, and... the castoreum behaves! No super-cologney nose full of powder, just this somewhat fizzy musk in the background. This is really rather nice! Later: Huh. It's gone. Kinda sad, I might have wanted more if it had stuck around... at least this makes me feel less apprehensive about castoreum, though.

In the bottle: Definitely carnation, and quite a strong musk/sandalwood combination. This is what I was hoping "Inez" to be! On: Carnation, cherry blossom, and that sultry musk/sandalwood... gorgeous! Later: Now I get the creaminess everyone has been talking about. Still quite musky, the carnation is more in the background now, the cherry blossom has left. I like this and will hold on to the bottle. Next day: Um, I tried a full day wear today, and the scent vanished after a very short period of time. This may be a hormonal thing considering my time in the cycle, but if it does this after Shark Week, it might have to leave my stash, after all.

In the vial: Fresh! Ozone and galangal, I believe. On: Super-fresh, and it really reminds me of a passing rainstorm. It's similar to "Stormclouds over the Midway", but that one is heavier and smoky, and has a hint of fruitiness to it, whereas this has a fresh, gingery ozone. They do seem to be the same scent category to me, though, probably because of the ozone. Later: This doesn't change at all. Fresh, ever-so-slightly gingery ozone. Totally unisex. I like it, but I don't think it smells bottleworthy on me.

In the vial: WINE! and LEATHER! Oh man, this stuff is pure SEX in the vial It smells like a more feminine version of "The Black Tower." On: WINE! LEATHER! MUSK! There's a hint of dustiness, which may be due to the rose, but so far, it behaves. This scent is STRONG on me - I can easily smell the waft from my wrist while I am typing on my laptop approx. 2 1/2 feet away from me. As it completely dries down, the wine turns into a background note, leaving me with sexy, sexy leather. I think I need to compare this with "The Black Tower" later - I'm planning to order a bottle of that soon, and if they're actually dissimilar enough, I might need some "Wanda," too, if it continues smelling like this! Later: Leather on a background of red wine. Thankfully, the flowers don't seem to want to interfere (I was fearing the rose). I also just put on some "Black Tower" to compare them, and while that one is not nearly as heavy on the leather on me, there are similarities in the drydown. I'll keep the imp for now and ponder a bottle later.

In the bottle: Cherry blossom, lilac and fruity mandarin. Reminds me a little bit of "The Holy Cross of Sanctus Germanus", only this is much less cleanerish. On: Very faint when wet. I get primarily lilac, a hint of mandarin and that lovely cherry blossom. As it warms, the sandalwood gently makes itself known. So very understated and womanly, and yet so gorgeous... I wish it had a bit more throw (it stays rather close to the skin), but it is an absolutely lovely perfume. Upon total drydown, the mandarin takes a spot in the background and adds just a little bit of gorgeous fruity zip to the florals, making sure it doesn't become boring. I can't stop sniffing my wrist! Later: This is definitely a second-skin scent, it's definitely there, but has very little throw. It's still beautiful, though. The mandarin sweetened more and is a *tiny* bit pezzy, but it doesn't detract at all from the beautiful florals it complements. The sandalwood is a bit more prominent now, but as faint as the other notes. I love this enough to keep my bottle - maybe it will retain a bit more throw when used in my hair, on my clothes, or after some moisturizing!

In the bottle: This barely smells floral at all - in fact, it's disturbingly sweet and foody for me. On: At first, I definitely get that buttery thing a lot of people have mentioned - and yes, it does seem quite foody to my nose. There is also an extremely sweet vanilla present. This smells like a rich cake with a few flower petals. As it dries down, the buttery note recedes a little and the vanilla becomes less cloying... but I still can't say I enjoy this very much. Also, I had expected lots and lots of lilac, and I only got very little. I am a bit disappointed. Later: More floral now, though the vanilla is still very much there and still too sweet and foody for my taste. The lilacs and lily are about equally strong. I'm going to let this one go.

In the vial: Huh. Smells like a spiced orange... but there are no citrus fruits listed... On: An evil orange fruit gummi with a hint of cinnamon? I can honestly say I did not expect this. Later: Straight up spiced orange fruit gummi. It seems to maintain strength pretty well, but... orange fruit gummi. Not my thing.

In the vial: Very hazelnutty! On: Yup, hazelnuts, possibly sugar-glazed. Smells delicious, although not exactly like a perfume to my nose. I'd much rather have a cookie smelling like this than me. Later: Very faint hazelnuts and a touch of fruit. If this appeals to you, it's definitely for you. I'm afraid it's not for me.

In the vial: I had no idea that vetiver would be so well-controlled by dragon's blood! This does actually smell a lot like a snake (we had a herpetologist at my uni once who brought an assortment of his specimens, and I got to hold his python [wow, that sounds like a terrible euphemism ]). On: Initially very strong dragon's blood, darkened by a drop of vetiver. The more it dries, the more it seems like single-note DB. So strange... usually, I amp vetiver, and since so many say there's cinnamon in here, I should be amping that, too... but it's all dragon's blood. Later: Dragon's blood. Dragon's blood. And did I mention dragon's blood? Now, I do like dragon's blood, but as a single-note, it doesn't appeal to me. No idea whether this is skin failure (generally, DB doesn't over-amp everything else in a blend) or what, but this does not seem to work on me.

In the bottle: Ohhh yes, honeyed wild flowers. Very nice. On: I get honeysuckle, I get daffodil, I get jasmine... the whole flowers, with stem and leaf. Petals, stems and stamens thrust into a dollop of surprisingly light, golden honey. The honey recedes a bit as it dries, but it remains in the background. This is a slightly sweetened field of flowers. Lovely. Later: A bunch of wildflowers, stems and all, with just the faintest breath of honey. Quite unusual and very nice. I'll keep my partial.

In the vial: A tropical floral with just a hint of bay rum. On: A hint of rum, tobacco and sweet flowers. A big surprise for me; a bit sweeter than I expected, but overall very nice and something I would wear on a semi-regular basis, yet not something I would have ordered based on the description. Later: Faint bay rum and nothing else. I did like the start, but the somewhat disappointing later dry phase keeps me from putting this on the bottle list.

I received a tester of this from the wonderful Roogna - thank you very much!!! In the vial: Herby aftershave. The herbs do make this smell slightly metallic, but they're mainly... herby. On: The herbfest turns slightly oily and smoky, the aftershave is delegated to the background. Very evocative, and definitely perfect as a steampunk scent. However, as much as I am eternally grateful I got to try this... this is a tad too herby for me right now. Later: Oily herbs. This one's a bust for me (thank goodness, I don't have the money to track this down ).

In the vial: I definitely get sand and a wisp of smoke from this. Of the listed notes, I can only identify sand and ginger. On: Sand, florals and a hint of smoky spice. For once, the cinnamon behaves! Ohh, and there's a drop of Dragon's Blood! I would have never pegged this for a scent I would like, but so far, this is really nice! Later: Lovely sand (probably amber). Not quite sure yet whether I'd like a bottle right now, but this one is definitely a candidate once I work through my current bottle wish list a bit more.

In the bottle: Not very strong in the bottle. Sandalwood, a bouquet of white flowers and a hint of musk. On: Incredibly faint floral at first, but gains a bit in throw as it dries. I can definitely detect the sandalwood and musk. The florals stay a bouquet, I can't pick out the single notes. It's still rather close to the skin. According to the husband, it's soapy, though it doesn't leave that impression for me. Later: Gone. It seems we weren't meant to be.

In the vial: Ayup. Vetiver PUNCH! On: Initially very strong on the vetiver, but there's also something citrussy to it, probably the neroli. As it dries, the vetiver actually tries to behave, though it is still the strongest note. At the moment, it's too vetiver-y for me to want more, though let's see how it develops. Later: Citrus with but a small backdrop of vetiver. If the other notes appeal to you, do know that the vetiver does calm down. However, I'm not that big on neroli, so this is a miss for me.

In the vial: CHERRIES! On: Cherry-almond? Maybe with some vanilla? And... uh... 3, 2, 1, baby powder. In under five minutes. Also, there's rose in there. It's rose dusting powder. DAMN YOU SKIN! Later: Powdery rose. This wasn't meant to be.

Named after the primordial ocean of milk where Lord Vishnu reclines upon the thousand-headed Naga. Sweet milk and warm, healing ginger with a touch of golden honey and our blend of Ambrosia. In the vial: Creamy honeyed ginger. Slightly plasticky. On: On, it loses the plastic vibe. It's creamy, honeyed ginger. Rather nice. It doesn't really wow me, but it is a comforting scent... like a glass of warm ginger-honey milk to help you sleep (Vishnu has taste). Later: Most of the creaminess and the honey are gone in favor of ginger, but I still kinda like it. Will keep the imp, though no bottle for me.

In the vial: Hm. If I had to guess, I'd say vetiver, honey and... something else. The result smells a bit like chocolate and cola syrup. On: The sharp green-black vetiver note calms down once on, and now it smells like seriously herby and slightly florally honey. I don't know, it still doesn't smell particularly appealing to me. Later: Something about this rubs me the wrong way. I don't know why, but something in me really balks at smelling like this. Passing it on.

In the vial: Smoky, opium-y plum, mhmmm. Very purple. On: Opium and plum... and this heavy sort of undertone you can smell outside just before a heavy thunderstorm. The smell is definitely interesting. As it dries, the sharpness of the ozone recedes - thankfully, I've had more than one ozoney blend go haywire on me. Later: Slightly plummy opium, now ozone-less. I'd say the decant is definitely a keeper, though I don't think I'm enough in love with it right now to make it a bottle.

In the vial: loamy, sweet dirt. It reminds me of Crossroads and Destroying Angel. If those two had a baby, this would be it, at least in the vial. On: Lots of dirt and woods. Right now, it smells kind of dusty and a bit medicinal - like ointment of some sort. Later: Dirt & balsam and some floral sweetness. Lovers of true loamy dirt scents are probably ga-ga over this. I personally find it interesting, but overall, I'm not sure I want to smell like this. I believe I'll pass my tester on, though I'm glad I got to try it. MUCH LATER, once the dirt calms down, it's actually rather nice, but that's a bit late for me.

This is for the 2010 version. In the bottle: I primarily get patchouli with honey and musk in here. It definitely smells sexay! On: Now I also get some beeswax. This is earthy and slightly sweet without being sticky. Upon drydown, I get a bit of juniper once in a while. I really enjoy this. Later: Earthy sweetness. Unisex and still sexy. I love it and am glad I have a partial bottle!

In the vial: The florals are front and center in this, but the fresh green fir in the background keeps it grounded. On: Oh yeah, I can definitely tell there's hyacinth in this, because the floral in the front is definitely the same note as in Ladon. The fir is not as strong as it was in the vial. I don't get a lot of oceany notes or star jasmine. Later: The fir has turned to a mere anchor - I am not getting an overt scent anymore, but I am sure that a wood is grounding the florals. Hyacinth and star jasmine have begun to mingle, and the scent overall is a lot fresher than it was in the beginning - the aquatic notes? Not bad, a cool, fresh, non-cloying floral for summer. I don't need more than the imp, though.