anomie

CXI - wood, incense, and some spice. We're torn on whether it's nutmeg or ginger - we being my mom and sister, whom I polled to try and figure it out!

I don't know, guys. Saturday, while wearing Herbal Armor bugspray? Fifteen bug bites in three hours. Last night, while wearing a generic deet-based spray? One bite in an hour and a half. I like the idea of not wearing poisonous chemicals, but they really do just seem to work better. *shrug*

Yeah, the only perfume I wore in high school was Clinique Happy. Hee!

In bottle: All buttercream, with a faint wisp of boozy fruit. Wet: Definitely smelling the bourbon, but it's still mostly buttercream frosting. Drydown: Oh, wow. I can definitely tell that this is the heavy, dusty scent of blackberries on the vine. They're splashed with bourbon, and resting comfortably on a much weaker bed of frosting.

I think that by the time you're a teenager, the general threads about recommendations and reviews can apply. Little kids might have problems with the really strong or heavy scents, but teenagers are close enough to being adults that they could wear pretty much anything. My 15-year-old sister tried on some Lust (I had the box of imps out and it was on the top of the pile) and loved it, for example. Plus, most teenagers (well, the girls, at least) are already experimenting with their appearance, with makeup and clothes, etc. Scent would just be another manifestation of that.

I think if I wore my Celestial moisturizer and MB Underpants or Beaver Moon, I would be tempted to eat myself. Mmmmm, creamy goodness.

In Imp: Perfumed fountains in a rose garden. Very warm and glittering scent. Wet: The jasmine is coming out now, tempered with something darker. Dry: Rose has staged a cunning comeback! It blends with the jasmine and the darker scent - could be the amber or the orris, I'm unfamiliar with those - into a complex whole. It's very grown up, which leaves me feeling like I've gone from training wheels to a giant black Harley.

In the imp: Pure vanilla buttercream frosting. Are you sure I'm not allowed to drink this? Sniffing again, I think I detect that boozy undertone of the rum. Wet: The slightly dusty note of sandalwood is coming out now, as if I leaned past the frosting and got a whiff of the pantry itself. Dry: The sweetness is almost gone; sandalwood and saffron are dominant, with just a hint of the butter and vanilla to mellow them out. Love!

In the bottle: heavy incense and florals, blossoms drooping under their own weight. Dry: the incense has mellowed, and now it's a slighly soapy floral top note. Still very lush, though. Later: Oh, no... the same thing that happened with Osun is happening here. It's gone all powdery!

Ugh. Nothing but bubblegum and juicy fruit on me, with a hint of SweetTarts. Can't wear it, will be trading it on. I would've expected Maenad to smell like wine and leather; this is the exact opposite of that, and more appropriate for a seven-year-old.

In imp: Something vaguely musty. Ylang-ylang? Reminds me of my mom's fancy sunscreen (Bain de Soleil Orange Gelee) Wet: Still musty, with a very faint hint of jasmine behind it. Dry: Jasmine's coming out now, and it's a little peppery. Verdict: Not for me, alas.

In the imp: Lemon with something fuzzy underneath. Wet: Lemon hand soap, like you get in restaurant bathrooms. Dry: Great, now I smell like a honey lemon cough drop.

Wet: Starts out smelling like pee. Yeah, I know. Ugh. Then changes to a very heavy floral. Dry: That same heavy, thick floral, like standing in the middle of a steamy greenhouse. I can smell the incense scents, but it's just resonating as unclean on my skin rather than smoky or fragrant. I'm not woman enough for this scent.

Ow, ow, ow! Nothing but sharp, blunt clove. It hurts to smell. And my skin's itching a little, too.

In bottle: Wet, astringent herbal. Wet: Still very green and herbal, stinging the nose, with a faint undertone of purple and sweetness. Dry: More of that purple scent. Must be the orchid coming out to play. I'm only getting the very faintest whiff of rose, though, and it's all powder. Verdict: Not a keeper. I love rose scents, but it's too drowned out for me.

In imp: Wet, fresh floral. Very green, like standing in a garden as opposed to a florist's shop. Wet: Still very floral, and a whiff of detergent - but not in a bad way at all. Dry: The vanilla comes out just enough to back up the rose and jasmine. I love it. Verdict: Why are my two favorites so far ancient LEs? Alas. This isn't heavy on me at all, and perfect for the edge of spring as it bleeds into summer.

In the imp: Chocolate. But not Hershey's waxy uck. More like a lovely bar of Cadbury's Dairy Milk. Mmm. Wet: More like a brownie - a little more cakey and dry. Dry: Yeah, still a brownie. But one made with very high-quality cocoa and some Ghirardelli chocolate chips tossed in. Verdict: Dunno. I've got a Devil's Food Cake spray that's quite similar, so I might pass this along to someone else.

In the bottle: Clean, with a very faint undertone of something fruity, but not lemon. Pear, I think. Wet: Much the same, with that slight fruit scent. Dry: The fruit's gone. Smells just like laundry on a warm spring day, not cold or chemical and faintly scented with the neighbor's garden. (And believe me, I know - my dad stops using the dryer as soon as it hits fifty degrees outside!) Verdict: I want more so that I can turn it into a room scent. And possibly wear it on days when I feel like Febreeze-ing myself.

I only tried this once. It reminded me of a late August day in a friend's garden; hot, muggy, overpoweringly sticky. Something about the way the florals blend just made me want to go shower - or maybe it was that "hint of decay". So, despite loving jasmine in any form, I sent this along to a friend who loves the city.