phedre

In vial: Nothing familiar leaps out at me. It smells a little salty.

 

On skin: I definitely get the "clean linen" comparison. This is light, a little salty, but not quite aquatic. The aloe's definitely there.

 

Drydown: Wow, my skin just drank this in. It's disappeared, which is very disappointing because it had promise.

In vial: Cardamom and nutmeg. Reminds me of chai.

 

On skin: There's something creamy and silky to this, like chai with milk. Sweet.

 

Drydown: creamy chai with nutmeg. Like? Not sure. Definitely interesting, though.

In vial: Juniper and labdanum. Sweet gin!

 

On skin: menthol. How very strange. It's gotten very aquatic all of a sudden, though the juniper's still there.

 

Drydown: Resins are appearing, as is the sandalwood and black rose. Suddenly this has transformed into something pretty with a creamy quality, very sweet.

In vial: lavender, sage, and fruit that must be the mango.

 

wet: Oh this IS pretty. The fruit disappears. Sage, lavender, and musk are the dominant notes. It's very complex, with scents fading in and out.

 

Drydown: The lavender is threatening to turn soapy. The mango is keeping this fruity while the musk is adding richness and depth. I think I'll hang onto this!

In vial: chocolate and buttercream, a bit of fig. Heavy on the coconut.

 

Wet: tons of coconut and chocolate, like a mounds bar. spicy ginger and clove starts to emerge a little. So far, I like this, and I really didn't expect to.

 

Drydown: This is tasty. was afraid of the orange as citrus tends to take over on me, but I can barely smell it here. The milk chocolate is a constant in this, never varying in intensity.

 

I like it, but I don't love it. I'll likely swap this for something else in future.

In vial: Yep, vanilla and mint! But also creamy melted butter.

 

Wet: buttery mints. Wow. There's a buttery scent there, warm, like baking white cake.

 

Drydown: Oh this IS the perfect vanilla mint, liberally slathered over white cake. Love! Not something I need tons of, but I'm glad to have gotten my hands on an imp!

 

Later: The mint is almost completely gone, and I'm left with the smell of baking white cake. Lovely, but not a scent I'll wear often. Must find something good to swap for this!

In bottle: pepper and ginger. Holy. The back of my throat is itchy and my eyes are watering this is so strong!

 

On skin: calmer, much calmer. Still that smell of fresh cracked black pepper, but not nearly as potently eye-watering.

 

Drydown: The opoponax is finally allowed to come out. As is the sweet honeysuckle. Hrmm... this is getting interesting. At first I thought I'd hate this, but now it's turning into something creamy and spicy.

 

I'm very happy with this so far, and well, it IS my sign! It's not something I'll wear often, but I will wear it.

Oh my. I am sooo in love, and so happy I splurged on two bottles of Pink Moon. Carnation SN is my alltime favourite BPAL scent, so I had high hopes for this one!

In bottle: sweet spicy carnation, warm sugar.

Wet: It's very light at first, and has a spun sugar quality, like walking near a cotton candy machine. The phlox is making this extremely sweet, but my beloved carnation is definitely in the forefront!

Drydown: There's definitely something green here that comes and goes, but it's only there if I look for it. Once dry, it's sweet lovely carnation! It fades quickly, but thankfully I have a large stash so I can reapply it like the slathering fool I am.

My absolute favourite of the lunacies so far!

In vial: Lavender and rose, tons of florals and something warm.

 

Wet: Rose and carnation. Lavender fades. Amber and musk coming out and warming it up.

 

Drydown: Oh this is interesting. There's a spicy warmth to this, blending nicely with the soft florals. It's a perfect blend of these scents! Love this one!

Wet: Creamy sugar, orange blossom.

In vial: Carnation comes out a little more, along with sweet cream.

Drydown: Orange creamsicle. Nice, but not a keeper.

In vial: Sweet musk and vanilla, honey, patchouli, florals.

 

Wet: Much the same as the vial scent, sweet with honey and magnolia. A touch of ginger, lots of vanilla and musk. Complex.

 

Drydown: Fascinating. Sweet, spicy, smoky. Vanilla and honey, ginger spice, a touch of leather, and a dirty dab of patchouli. I won't be joining the hunt for a bottle though.

In vial: I'm not getting much from this. A touch of sweet florals.

 

Wet: More of the same. It's light, a bit of the amber, and a sleepy resin-like scent. Sweet florals. Very light.

 

Drydown: Still sweet, light florals. This is well blended. I don't think I'll buy a bottle, but I'm going to hang onto it for awhile to see if it grows on me.

In vial: Thick opium, sweet. Musky.

 

On skin: I like this. The opium is strong and gorgeous. There's a hint of sharpness here, from the civet maybe.

 

Drydown: Oh dear, this has taken such a wrong turn. It smells like gasoline. And it had such promise!

In vial: Wet rose, heady. Leather.

 

Wet: The rose in this is lovely, rich and gorgeous. The leather is a little dirty smelling.

 

Drydown: I get a LOT of rose on this, with a measure of leather. It's lovely, but I don't think it'll displace Peacock Queen as my favourite rose scent.

In vial: Minty! Must be the pennyroyal. Lavender.

 

Wet: lavender comes to the forefront. Spearminty pennyroyal, slightly sweet.

 

Drydown: Poof! Disappeared. It's too bad, because the initial sniff was lovely.

In vial: frankincense and patchouli.

 

On skin: Sweet, smoky. This is so lovely. Definitely frankincense.

 

Drydown: Pure sweet ecclesiastical goodness. I love this, and if/when I ever run out of Midnight Mass, this will be a great contender for favourite incense blend!

In bottle: Whoa. Overblown roses! Big, heady garden roses lazing in the sun, with just a touch of sugary sweetness underneath.

 

Wet: Pure rose, even the touch of sugar has disappeared. It's so rosy, it's giving my sinuses trouble!

 

Drydown: the sugar's not reappearing. I expected it to be more like faith, but it's a completely different kind of sweetness. It reminds me of the rose in Persephone. It's nice! Not as nice as Peacock Queen, but definitely a keeper.

 

This scent has a ton of throw and staying power; it's much more aggressive than Faith.

 

Layering Hope & Faith is really worth it. They smell twice as lovely when they're together!

In bottle: Sweet candied violets. The sugar reminds me of the sugar in MB: Underpants.

 

Wet on skin: Stays true to the bottle. Gorgeous! It's not foody, but my mouth is watering.

 

Drydown: I can see why people compare this to a violet antique lace; that's quite a good description. It's much better, though! I really love this scent.

 

The violets fade quickly. It's a lot milder than Hope, stays closer to the skin and it doesn't have nearly as much throw. I really wish this was as strong as its sister! It's still quite nice, and I'll just have to reapply often!

 

Layering Hope & Faith is really worth it. They smell twice as lovely when they're together!

In vial: men's cologne. It's very strong! spicy sandalwood and deep myrrh.

 

wet: very masculine. The woods and musks are ruling the day. It's got an aquatic quality.

 

drydown: *wrinkles nose* woods and red musk, and not for me at all. Something in this is completely off with my chemistry. It's just far too masculine for me.

In vial: orchid and sandalwood stand out immediately.

 

wet: Oh this is lovely. The mandarin isn't appearing at all (yay), but the rose is, and there's a definite vanilla quality, but not foody vanilla at all.

 

drydown: this just gets nicer and nicer. Soft, well blended, with no harsh edges. I'm shocked that the mandarin hasn't made an appearance, this has stayed completely floral with vanilla thrown in for good measure. There's a sweetness to it that I associate with incense (the benzoin?). Very nice!

In vial: heavy on the lavender. I fear soapiness.

 

wet: definitely soap. Relaxing lavender and jasmine. This would be a gorgeous bathtime scent.

 

drydown: lily and jasmine have overwhelmed the lavender. I didn't think that was possible! Still leaning towards this one as a good bath scent. It'd make a great relaxing bubble bath.

in vial: honey and sandalwood, light florals, something sharp and astringent.

 

wet: soft musk and amber notes. The sharpness is still there, quite herbaceous. soap. eep.

 

drydown: the sharpness is completely gone, and now it's a smooth, creamy floral honey blend. The lily's a bit heavy, but it's oh so pretty. This is the first honey blend that I've really loved.

in vial: sandalwood and iris, lots of florals. mint just around the edges.

 

wet: The mint's a bit more present, as is the peach. Still heavy on the sandalwood and florals, though.

 

drydown: Oh, this IS nice. Pretty, delicate florals blending together with just a touch of sweet peach and cool mint.

In vial: honey and sharp lemongrass, something that smells like tobacco leaf. Rich and indolent.

 

Wet: cognac. It's very warm, thick and encompassing. It reminds me of the smell of fresh tobacco leaves.

 

Drydown: still tobacco leaves and cognac. This would be nice to wear on a cold winter night.

In vial: very sweet floral. A hint of wood, barely there.

Wet: sweet and juicy. A touch of perfumed soap. I would swear that there was orange in this somewhere.

drydown: A little soapy. Pretty, though. Floral, sweet, with wood holding it together.