juniperus

Bottle: fresh spring florals, a jumble of floral and green Wet: I can't quite pick out the notes, but the florals are heady and lanquid. Dry: it's hitting a rather frenetic sweet note. but the green is gaining its footing, too. we'll see. Later: it fades rather quickly to a very sort sweet meadow sort of affect, very subtle, and pretty, and spring.

Bottle: sharp - the musk and sandalwood together have an edge to them here Wet: I can identify the orange at this point, but it's not sweet nor overly fruity at all Dry: now the mango comes out and this is definitely fruity. it's grounded by the sandalwood and musk, however, both of which have softened. Later: the mango is growing a little sour on me, which is really pretty unpleasant with that still-sweet orange - alas. fruit does not seem to care for my skin.

Bottle: dark and damp, sharp and slippery. chilling. Wet: the vetiver and cypress, neither of which care much for me, are foremost at this point, with the sharp edge of the lavender and rosemary identifiable only with a little effort Dry: vetiver amping like nutz - it does gross things on me, yes it does. Later: you know, screw 'later', I need to wash.

Bottle: were I to pour a glass of red wine on dry, bare, earth this is that smell Wet: the same - this reminds me of zombi, but chokes me less Dry: oh, there is that choking dirt thing that dirt does on me. Later: nvm, washing now. ugh.

Marachino cherries and spice - there must be almond here in some small amount. I'm also getting dragon's blood, I think that's encouraging the initial cherry. Warm, sweet - but not morphing into bad-sweet on my skin. This has a herbal undertone I can't quite place, and a smokiness.

Sharp, there is lavender here. And citrusy-feeling sweetness. I can't pick out a lot of notes, yet this reads as complexity to my nose.

An astrigent dustiness, acrid. There is an herbal green behind it, it's very odd, the interaction between these notes and my nose. I sniff and it burns the back of my throat - pine sharp like the needles, not the resin. Earthy, And how.

Juicy Fruit gum. Morphs as it dries to something less juicy, but still fruity. And very sweet. And Sweet does not like my skin. Alas.

Watery floral, reminiscient in tone to Asphodel. I'd even hazard a guess of water lily, and another note I'm familiar with but can't quite place out of context - dandelion, maybe? Translucent and lovely, but not sitting well on my skin, I'm afraid.

Minty, very wintergreen buttermint, in fact. A creamyness behind the mint, but overall cooling and fresh..and oh so very mint.

Sharply woody. I suspect vetiver is here, as it Does Not Play Well on my skin. Amping. Gaah.

Sour floral, sickly, almost rotty-sweet. Some fruit here, too, I suspect, but that, too is a little past its prime. Growing steadily sharper and more sour on my skin. Clearly not for me.

You'll have to test them. Honestly. What has a large throw on me (and when it comes to bpal, what I mean by large throw is significantly closer than any cologne I've been attacked by) can disappear completely on someone else. I can give you a list but it isn't likely to help you one whit - it's all about your skin. Get a list of interesting autumny imps that you are intrigued by. Order or swap or buy them off a forumite. Try each one (on different days - I find that the greatest throw I've had commented on was a combination when I was trying and reviewing) with a designated sniffing buddy. Apply to the same places the same amount each time and let them tell you whether they smell them from two steps away, one step, hugging you all friendly, or have to get even closer to notice them. And there's your answer. (you could also do this by wrist alone yourself to get some idea, but that can be tough as you're already pretty close to the application point) Which isn't cut-and-dry, but accurate.

I recently had an enabling session with my sister who was in visiting from out-of-state. She doesn't care for florals, preferring fresh, light, and maybe a little fruity. THese have a limited presence in my collection, unfortunately - what wears well on me she doesn't like, and vice-versa. (my floral loves are here and there - a lot of florals don't work with me either.. especially the sweet, cloying, and tropical) She did like Amsterdam and Glasgow, and really likes Phantom Queen. Amsterdam is the most florally of them, but it's still pretty understated.

Would it be ok in this thread to discuss which burners are good? I've been thinking about locating one, but I have no idea what features to look for..

Bottle: something here is sharp and oddly sweet - I'm thinking sharp pepper and sweet tobacco? Wet: same. what an odd sweet note. Dry: I can detect the redwood now, but no frankincense or sandalwood and that sweet note is really off on me. Later: I can get the frankincense now - and that sweet has backed off a bit. still not sure if it's very nice on me...darn.

Bottle: fresh, almost astringent, reminds me of something..a hair product I've smelled before, I think. weird. Wet: aquatic shiny note makes my head hurt. ow, head, ow. Dry: oh yes, the sinuses are awake now. I'm getting no woods from this, and no iron, either. just something akin to Numb. Later: same. alas.

Anything with dragon's blood has good length on me. Vetiver never freaking goes away even through washings - but it's nasty on me.

Bottle: sweet. apple, berries, and the sorghum. Wet: I can really smell the plum, now, and that hickory! this is complex, still on the sweeter side, but while I can pick out many of the food scents this isn't overwhelmingly foody. Dry: woody and herbal and a little sharp - nothing is amping or morphing on me, yet. I'm amazed that the berries haven't taken over and that my allergies are still in check! Later: I didn't expect it to work at all - but it's an interesting combination of scents, heady with the images they invoke. This really feels like indian summer to me - hot days, cold nights, the last flowers still in bloom but autumn on the evening air...makes me miss Diana's Grove. My whim orders don't always turn out well, but this one did. Splendid!

CT3: XXXVI, a fortuitous swap In the bottle gypsy coffee and myrrh. On me a woody muskiness pops out with the undercurrent of sweet, very strong coffee lending it wings, as it were. It could just be dark and earthy and musky (not that I'd complain), but this softens those edges...it's as if this were made just for me. Oh, the tragedy that this was a Chaos Theory!!! I'd horde many more bottles if I could!

Bottle: beautiful herbal/floral, soft. Wet: the iris is really lovely, and the olibanum cradles it..it's as if the note was not beneath the herbal/floral notes, but that they are suspended in it. Dry: the sandalwoods are coming up to take their place and this is ... a really gorgeous, soft kiss transported on a cool night wind. Later: I really love sandalwoods, and this is a showcase for them of rare and delicate beauty - nothing hippyshop at all about this, it's like nothing I've imagined. absolutely stunning.

Bottle: transparent, like a beam of light. lily and rose, but very, very gentle. Wet: the same, mostly, but sharpened with the hint of the resins without the resin notes themselves making a full appearance. Dry: the lily is getting a little large and a little sharp, and the frankincense and myrrh are coming out underneath it all. Later: the lily has stopped amping, much to my relief, and this is rounding out more..still heavy on the lily, but it's not taken over completely. The more delicate resins are hidden, but the frank'n'myrrh are still apparent. Amped but still lovely. Joy.

Bottle: I have white tea with lemon - and this smells almost exactly like it. very light. Wet: the lemon is stronger, now, and I can catch a hint of the aloe. Dry: I'm not getting much of the musk, this is still very much sweet, pale tea with a lot of fresh lemon. Later: the lemon has backed off quite a bit and I'm getting more of the tea with the musk - really lovely. These sorts of scents usually don't seem to work well on me - I may seriously have to consider getting some of my own!! This is Emma's implet, but she's letting me review it. Emma found this too sweet and wanted to wash it off very quickly, interestingly enough - Colin happily took possession. Apparently he thinks it's the perfect scent to wear with his Ben-ten Omnitrix F/X. Who knew?

Bottle: spicy/musky goodness. a smoky undertone, as if some of the spices are in the form of incense. Wet: the cranberry is present, but not sweet and not giving this a food-y feel whatsoever. this is warm, rich, red, and tremendously alluring. Dry: sweeter, now, as the lily really comes up. still spicy, complex, and warm. Later: Fortunately the musk and cranberry are strong enough to still balance the lily - this isn't as spicy as it was earlier, I'm sad to say, and the incense-y quality is gone completely, but it's still gorgeous.

Bottle: vanilla, primarily. Wet: a hint of darkness with the vanilla. Dry: still very vanilla, but it always does that on me. I just can't make out what that dark note is behind the in-your-face vanilla ampage. Later: this has softened considerably - it's a vanilla I might be able to wear (or in this case, borrow. heh.), a rare entity, indeed. This is Emma's implet, but she's letting me review it. She likes it, has pronounced it 'pretty'.