Deliciousness

One of the deadliest mushrooms to ever pop through Gaia’s soil. Papery white notes evoke the grace of this fungi, grounded by thin, crisp soil. In the imp: At first, I get the impression of an old time perfume, very "old lady-ish" musty. Then I look at the description and I find myself thinking of soil and gardens now. Power of suggestion? Maybe. Wet: The musty perfume stays for a few minutes before calming down to a deep, sweet floral. This floral reminds me of a gardenia or magnolia - though it isn't. It's just that the scent is sweet, heavy and full bodied, much like those southern blooms. I'm also getting a touch of greenery - like a living flower would smell, a little green and woody. Dry: The sweet floral lasts a long while (couple of hours) before fading to a whisper light floral, which is less sweet and more grounded, like the earthy garden it came from.

Strong black tea and milk with white pepper, ginger, honey and vanilla, spilled over the crisp scent of clean linen. In the imp: Freshly brewed tea and linen. Wet on skin: Woah! This is sharp linen and cotton, almost like those wall flower thingies at B&BW. I think I may be getting hints of the white pepper, as this scent seems to have a little bite behind the linen. Drydown: After an hour or so, the linen finally fades a touch and I can actually smell a light floral note, reminiscent of peony, which is very pretty, but no where in the scent description. This is an okay scent, I think I would have loved this blend if I had actually gotten the vanilla, honey and ginger notes. Alas, my skin took linen and amped it to high heaven. This ended with a pretty, but ultimately forgettable soapy floral.

In the imp: A sweet fruity blend, a little green around the edges too. It's fresh and a little effervescent, which must be the champagne. Wet on skin: Wow - this is pretty! It's spring like florals, with a backdrop of light fruit. The plumeria is very pronounced, while the pear gives it that little bit of juiciness. Drydown: Soft plumeria and a touch of pear ... I think I am getting a bubble or two of champagne in there, but it may just be my imagination. This drys down very soft on my skin, not too much throw or staying power - but then again, I only put a dab or so on, I didn't drench myself. This scent is so evocative for me. When I smell this, I think of an elegant outdoor wedding, with the afternoon sun shining on gossamer fabric and delicate flowers. Such a romantic feeling. I think If you like light and sweet florals, give this a go; even if you're not into florals, this may be a gateway scent. It's floral, but not powdery or overwhelming - this is lovely, fresh and sweet.

In the imp: Strong and sweet elderly grandma's perfume. I'm blaming the jasmine. Wet on skin: Well it certainly is jasmine-y. There's a note in the background which I'm unsure about - I believe it's the ginger. Alas, I'm not too keen on the jasmine ginger combo. I can detect a hint of the sweet apricot - which is nice. Unfortunately, the jasmine-ginger combo is kicking apricots butt. Drydown: This smells very much like it does during the wet stage for quite a few hours. On hour 3, the vanilla starts to come out while the jasmine-ginger combo of doom finally calms down. It's actually very nice smelling on hour 3.5, with hints of sweet vanilla and apricot, surrounded by wisps of fragrant jasmine. Alas, I don't want to wait out the 3 or so hours it takes for this to smell good. If you have good luck with jasmine blends, I'd say give this one a go.

In the imp: Sticky sweet fruity ... dirt? Wet on skin: No, that's not dirt, it's wood. Wood and peaches ... (goes to look up description) ... oh it's apricot! Drydown: Woody, sweet apricot. One sniff and I get wood followed by the most mouth watering scent of apricot. So I sniff again, Ugh it's the damn wood scent ... stupid patchouli ... then the glorious apricot. And this goes on till someone notices that I'm sniffing myself. So I stop. Well, I will chalk this up to my skin chemistry and patchouli. My skin seems just wants to make patchouli smell like wood. Oh well. The apricot in this blend is just phenomenal - it's sweet, sun warmed and juicy. I would give this blend a go if you like patchouli and or deeper, more grounded fruit blends.

In the imp: Woah! This is a strong fruit and spice blend. Wet on skin:Very much like the imp, but the notes are becoming more distinguishable. I can smell prunes, what I believe to be fig (although it's not listed), some type of light citrus and clove (again, not listed) and a touch of spicy ginger. Drydown: This blend softens up a bit, so it's not nearly as harsh as I had anticipated. This reminds me of mincemeat for some reason, - like rich, candied dried fruits with a touch of alcohol and lots of spices. I think this is a winter weather scent, because in summer it would just become cloying and altogether too much (I did try this during the summer months and it was icky.).Granted, this isn't a scent I'd reach for often, but I'm enjoying it, especially during the cold weather.

True, perfect golden light, refined into an incomparably glorious scent. In the imp: Wood, wood and more wood. Wet on skin: Wood shavings Drydown: Resinous, slightly sweet timber (if dabbed on) or WOOD if I put on more than my skin can handle. My skin amps wood notes and this blend is no exception. I find that the wood note calms down the longer this sits on my skin and a lovely golden sweetness peeks through - which I find very nice. But to get to this wonderful semisweet resinous state, it takes an hour or so of wear, and by the time I fully enjoy my sweet resinous, golden blend, it starts to fade. Well, I could easily just slather more on. Wrong. I did tried and in doing so, this blend became all about the wood. Period. I never got to the delightful stage of softly sugared golden woods. It was just too much for my skin to handle. I really want to love this blend, but it's the dichotomy is just too pervasive. I love it and hate it all at once. Ah well. I'll keep my imp and dab here and there trying to catch just the right amount that magically gives me the wonderful sweet resinous scent that is so fleeting.

In the imp: Florals, with a touch of something cold and raw, maybe dirt? Wet on skin: The rose comes forward, but there is a bitterness contained amongst the sweet rose fragrance. Drydown: Rose with what I'm assuming is oak moss. This was an interesting blend for me. I'm not too sure I liked it, but I was compelled to continually sniff my arm. The rose is fresh and green, but there is also a background note, and I'm thinking it's the oak moss, that went somewhat alkaline and bitter. I think Zombi was quite strong and I had wish I had actually put on a little less - the smell was making me uneasy. I think I would rather have this as a room scent than a "perfume", it that makes any sense.

I'm quite a novice when it comes to patchouli blends. I've tried one or two, but the patch was always within a long list of other notes and just played back up. I find this blend is all about the patchouli. Although it says it's honeyed, it seems to be dry and woody, at least on my skin. I was so hoping for the amber and honey to come into play, but it took a good couple of hours to get much besides eye waveringly robust, woody patchouli. At the end of the day, I could get faint whiffs of what I would imagine to be an amazing scent, filled with the sweetness of honey and a light layer of amber-y vanilla, but it was so faint at that point, it was nearly undetectable. Ah well, it's not really surprising, as my skin amps woody scents.

In the imp: Slightly sweet floral. I think I'm smelling a sweeter rose, but there isn't rose listed in the is scent. Wet on skin: Pretty much the same as the imp. except this blend gets a little sweeter and juicer ... that must be the pear coming thru. Very nice. Drydown: Hum, this ends up slightly powdery. Not overwhelming so, but enough for me to think of soap, but it's not bad. The florals are dying down and the scent seems to becoming lighter. Although the wet stage is quite nice, the dry down, at least on my skin, is a little lackluster. It becomes a little dry and slightly soapy with a background of sweet florals. It's a pretty and feminine scent and not overpowering. Give this a go if you like lighter florals.

In the imp: A heady, sweet floral. Wet on skin: Sweet and floral ... this is a deep floral, not really light and airy. It's like "the hottest night of the summer and everything is in bloom" type of floral ... must be the honeysuckle note that's in play here. Drydown: This is still very sweet honeysuckle mixed with other heavy florals. I think I'm getting whiff's of a powdery vanilla underlaying everything, but it could be my imagination. Once completely dry I'm getting a slight wisp of incense occasionally too ... is that the opium? ... I'm not too sure what opium smells like. All in all, I find this scent okay. It is quite sweet from what I had expected. I really wanted the vetiver to come out, but I didn't smell anything in here to make me think vetiver was even an ingredient. Ah, well, glad to get to try this blend. Off to see what black opium smells like now ...

In the imp: Woody, dry cologne Wet on skin: Woody, sharp perfume. Heavy emphasis on the wood aspect. Drydown: Dry wood, bordering on pencil shavings, with a backdrop of heady, sharp cologne. There is also something slightly sweet underneath the cacophony which is this blend, which makes me keep sniffing my wrist, even though it makes my eyes water a touch. Well, I didn't have really high hopes for this blend, as wood can become overpowering on me, as I amp it to high heaven, so take this review with the grain of salt, as YMMV. I could smell something promising in the wet stage, as the woodiness seemed more deep and resinous and a touch sweet. I was hoping that if I just waited patiently, this oil would morph a little more into something I would enjoy. Alas, there was a sharpness that pretty much obliterated the deeper tones I thought I had smelled in the beginning. The dry phase was a woody, sharp cologne. Glad I got to try a decant, even though this isn't for me.

In the imp: Oh, it's apple-y (yes, I'm making that a word), and tart at that. Wet on skin: Very green tart apples, like Granny Smith. Hummm, seems like there is a floral in the background - it's a light, fresh floral. Drydown: The apple calms down a bit, but the florals seem to come to the front, making this blend seem to go a little soapy. I was hoping to keep the tart green apple for the total wear on this blend. But instead, the florals took over, along with a soapy component which didn't really sit well with my chemistry. Also, the blend as a whole was a little high pitched on my skin, bordering on headache inducing. Alas, this scent isn't for me.

I found this was a great red musk scent in the beginning of my wearing. It was rich, a little sweet and juicy which was balanced nicely with the rough and tough leather note. i think it's quite sexy actually. Alas, the dry down was a let down, for all the dusty rags and wooden switches crashed my love-fest. The longer I had this scent on, the more dry, dusty and woody (a little like pencil shavings) this blend became. I shouldn't be surprised, I mean it actually has dusty rags and wooden switches in the scent description. I was just hoping that they wouldn't become so prominent on my skin. Oh well, I'm glad to have gotten a chance to try this one.

In the imp, this is a very sweet, foody concoction. Wet on skin: I smell marzipan! It's so good, it makes my mouth water . After a bit, this easses up to reveal a wonderful caramel covered sugar cookie. Dry down: The cookie scent becomes more prominent and buttery. The caramel is still present, but becomes a little less sweet as the salty aquatics come to the front. This is one of those scents, at least for me, which morphs continually while wearing. This scent starts off very gourmand and turns into a foody aquatic. Unfortunately, I find the cookie starts to go stale toward the end of the dry down, just as the aquatic starts to make an appearance. I would totally buy a bottle if the buttery cookie stayed fresh, because this is a really great blend otherwise.

In the imp: Candle wax with something wet and moldering underneath (damp woods, maybe?) Wet on skin: The mouldering does go away and I'm left with candle wax, a touch of leather (which fades quickly) and smoke. Drydown: A very smoky candle. This does have staying power, the scent lasted for a few hours before I had to wash it off. I found this blend became more smoky the longer it set on my skin, while the musk and leather burned off at the beginning. A very apt namesake for this blend, as it smells exactly like its title, A Low Candle-Lit Room.

Let me preface this by saying that I think anything with "pine" will smell like I hung a Pine cone air freshener around my neck. I only realized this since trying the Yules a few days ago. Anyway, I tested this two or three times since I received my decant a week or so ago, and can only say that I smell like BALSAM and PINE, with a touch of winter coolness. I love the "cold" I get when smelling this, but I cannot stand the overly fake piney scent my skin seems to make of this blend. I wish I got some berries in here, but they don't seem to want to come out, as the pine scared them away. They may be hiding because the big bad Evergreen forest is screaming at the top of it's lungs at everything else. It's chemically evil, and not in a good way (although I'm not too sure that could be construed as "good"). Anyway, I'm afraid my skin chemistry didn't like this blend. Glad I got to try it, sad it's not for me.

Yah, I agree with the above play-dough comparisons. The scent isn't bad and is ultimately strangely compelling ... you keep coming back to sniff your wrist. A clean, sweet, slightly milky scent with a breath of mint; but this mint is very delicate and fades quickly. I find this blend is very much like Snow White when I did a side by side comparison, except this lasted a little longer and had less of a tropical fruit smell, and more of a sugary smell. Although a beautiful scent, I find this is very light, nearly to the point of vanishing within two hours. If this scent were a little stronger and more prominent, I'd be buying buckets.

Yellow Snowballs is all candied lemon rind and Balsam/pine with a hint of mint (but the mint may just be my imagination). On first application, the lemon is very strong and almost chemical, like a strong cleaner. This abrasive scent does fade through dry down to a nice sweet lemony rind - I find the lemon not too cloying, with just a hint of tartness underneath. Alas, the loveliness of citrus is muted by my skin's ability to turn anything balsam and pine to PINE/BALSAM EVERYTHING. Yes, that needs to be in caps. I think this blend would smell lovely on anyone other than myself. I feel that I just hung a pine tree air freshener around my neck.

In the imp: A sweet fruity floral Wet on skin: A clean, refreshing scent with a backdrop of citrus and sweetness (must be the mango). Drydown: Wow, this got a lot sweeter! It's a lot less "clean" smelling and more tropical fruit scent. I was surprised how sweet this scent turned out to be on my skin - but its ok, because it still smells fantastic! This scent reminds me of a tropical getaway with sweet drinks and exotic fruit. YUM!

In the imp: A gingery floral Wet on skin: Gingery tea, the floral dissipates. Drydown: Green tea with a nice backdrop of freshly grated ginger and a touch of citrus - lemon, I think. Overall, this is a wonderfully light scent. I would buy a bottle if it weren't for the fact that this scent fades incredible fast on my skin. If it had more staying power, I'd say this were a great spring and summer scent as it's crisp and refreshing for those hot sultry days.

In the imp: Sweet coconut and tropical breezes Wet on skin: Watery coconut with a background of sweetness (must be the orris) and a touch of muskiness. Pretty much like the description says: soft orris, blood musk, and coconut. Dry on skin: The musk seems to go into the background, while the coconut scent comes forward. There is a powdery dry sweetness which I'm also detecting. Over all, this is a nice blend. But there is something in the background of this scent which is keeping me from enjoying it fully. I don't know if it's a plastic note I'm detecting, or the "powdery dryness" which I'm not accustomed. IDK, but there is just something in here which is slightly off on my skin. I really wanted to love this scent, but I'm just not feeling it. Hopefully my coconut love will be out there somewhere, I just gotta keep looking.

This goes on as a more masculine musk. It's a slight bit earthy and deep, but with an underlaying sweetness. This sweetness, which is probably dragons blood, really comes out on the dry down .. and becomes even sweeter and more floral. It's a nice scent, but not something that I'd be reaching for very often, as I find this amps like crazy on my skin.

On application this is a wonderful fresh green honey. There is something that reminds me of fresh cut grass and a light airy floral. I'm not talking about the dry powder I can get from some blends, but a fresh, live floral. Alas, this stage is short lived, as this mellows into a honey with a backdrop of the aforementioned powdery floral - not bad, just not as nice as the wet stage, IMO. Anyway, the throw is minimal, this scent stays close to your skin. It does fade after application, but not too badly. I kept getting little wisps of scent throughout the day. It's a nice scent, but I really adored the wet stage.

Spanked is all warm and spiced with a nice hit of black leather and a touch of bourbon. I wash this was a GC because I want my rooms to smell like this all the time - gorgeous, sexy and slightly naughty … perfect for the bedroom. Note: This scent goes a long way; I only used three squirts in my bedroom and the scent is wafting down my hallway and downstairs into the foyer … my house smells amazing!