pekeana

Oddly enough, I get no plum and no carnation at all from Bathsheba -- what I get is a warm, deep, sensual spicy musk that's touched with the lightest hint of something nutty and floral. There is no sweet -- just this deep musk. On me, it's like what would happen if Scherezade and Queen of Sheba had a torrid love affair and spawned Bathsheba.

Bewitched is nice -- it's mostly what my nose recognizes as the "standard BPAL berry" mix, and something deeper and darker. Once on my skin, it's all warm, sweet berries -- atop something that smells pickled. Alas, damn skin, I dislike thee muchly.

Dorian and Xiuhtecuhtli are my big "hello, I am woman, hear me roar" scents.

I can see why frankincense and myrrh were some of the most valuable resins in the ancient world -- they're simply beautiful. One of my favorite notes is frankincense -- softly astringent and almost citrussy, it hits my skin and sings a beautiful song. Myrrh is deep and dusty, kind of woody, and it usually goes powdery on my skin. The combination of the two is just warm, deep, and resinous. Penitence is similar to Tzadikim Nistarim, but less sweet.

Somnus smells like lavender, jasmine, and something else that's very heavy and dark. Not sure what, but it hits my skin and mixes with the jasmine into something that doesn't really smell very good. HOWEVER... I've been mega-stressed as of late and very angry about something that's completely beyond my control, and thus, not sleeping very well at all. So, I got this in a swap and decided to try it out, since Nanshe wasn't helping matters. Somnus managed to calm me into sleeping... but when I woke up in the middle of the night, I had issues going back to sleep. However, fortunately, the deep sleep I'd had before was enough to get me relatively bright-eyed... and armed with more righteous indignation toward the bad situation. GREEEEAT.

Mmmmm, I love this, but that should be no surprise, considering how much I love Kabuki -- and Kabuki and Kyoto are so very similar. I'm finding that Beth's anise note really sings on my skin -- it's thick, vibrant, sexy, and warm spice that is very comforting and extremely sexy. Pair that with cherry blossom and soft white sandalwood, and you have an anise that is a little cherry/floral (I've never been able to describe the scent of cherry blossoms -- they're very white floral with the dryer sheets thing going on, but at the same time, they have the same essence as a warm, full-bodied ripe cherry or a nice, fresh slab of cherrywood; the same, thick, rich vitality), and the soft woody edge of the sandalwood. Kyoto is a deep, sensual scent, slightly sweet, slightly floral, slightly woody, and quite spicy across the top -- a slash of red on a white piece of paper.

Nobody's said it yet... I love Tenochtitlan. Tenochtitlan, Aglaea, and Corazon are the only ambers I've worn yet that didn't go pure powder.

Scarecrow is the scent of Kansas prairie in August, after the droughts hit, and during wildfire and dust devil season. Unfortunately, this doesn't have pleasant associations in my brain, so the Scarecrow must go bye-bye.

Delphi smells overwhelmingly metallic and green to me, and it's making my eyes water in a bad way. I don't get any of the notes, but it's got to be washed off because it's making my allergies flare up.

So, okay, you can all hold onto your hats -- I actually like a blend with black patchouli in it! I don't mind the red kind, but the black kind always reminds me of a dirty hippie. In the vial, Depraved is apricot, tinged very lightly with earthy patchouli. On my skin, it's mostly patchouli, but with enough sweetness from the apricot to keep me from thinking that I rolled around in some hippie's dirty laundry. One whiff will be all patchouli, and the next will be screaming with apricot's fruitiness and sweet warmth. I like this till it's about 8 hours old, then it's all patchouli all the time -- kind of hippie sweat scent. So, I'm not sure if I'll be keeping it or not because the sweaty hippie doesn't wanna get off of my skin.

It seems that I am getting randomly better about picking scents that I'll love. I have a 5ml of Akuma on order (blindly ordered it, thinking that it might rock my socks), and the Lab graciously gifted me with an imp in my latest order. And, indeed, Akuma rocks my socks. In the vial, it's neroli, neroli, neroli, but with a touch of berry sweetness waaaaaaay down at the very bottom of the scent, and the two react in a way that comes off as metallic at the base. It kind of scared me, but knowing that I had a 5ml on order and I needed to at least try it, I slapped some on the back of my hand. On my skin, it screamed neroli for about 15 minutes, then the raspberry took over. It's warm, fresh, sweet raspberry with a hint of orange peel and a touch of mellowed floral. Love it, love it, love it. Beth's berries for the most part seem to love me, and Akuma is no exception -- once I get past the "hi, I am neroli, smell me bitch!" phase, that is.

Corzaon is very green, fresh, and spicy to me -- on my skin, it's almost entirely sage, with a passing hit once in a while of red musk's warm incensey depth and a touch of sweet fruit. I really, really love this, and I'm glad I snagged a bottle before it went bye-bye.

Beltane reminds me of both High John The Conqueror and Mystery -- it's got the floral-herbal of High John, and the smoky depth of Mystery. That being said, Beltane is extremely strong on me -- there's got to be a bit of High John essence in this because I'm getting a high-pitched screaming High John on my skin, along with a touch of floral and a bit of smoke down at the very bottom. It's interesting, but not exactly my favorite, and I think it's what's making me sneezy. But it is quite appropriate for the name and intent.

Pink Moon reminds me of a Pier 1 candle -- not sure which one, but it reminds me of one of the ones I've sniffed. In the bottle, it's sweet and sugary floral with a slap of creamy soft undertone. On my skin, hello floral! But it's not a bad kind of floral. The berries, honey, and sugar combine into something kind of, but not quite, plasticky, and it all kind of reminds me of something. I'm not sure what. A Strawberry Shortcake doll, maybe? It's something else besides the candle association -- something I know I should remember, but don't. It's also very... perfumey. In that traditional "I am floral, hear me roar" kind of a way, but not quite in the traditional mode, if you know what I mean?

To me, Chimera is very similar to Snake Oil, but a lot subtler -- and the cinnamon lends it depth. It's warm, thick, heady, and definitely a larger bottle purchase for me.

Strangely, I get lemon + wood + currant from Medea. It's kind of an odd and tickly allergy-inducer, alas.

I got a niiiiice pretty bottle of Miskatonic University from chopchica, who went to Convergence. It's such a pretty little amber bottle with a lovely label, and then you open the lid and -- WHAM! Coffee, cream, whiskey! Warm, smooth, creamy Irish coffee. Upon second sniff, I can smell something dusty and woody beneath the wham, bam, thank you ma'am of the coffee. I *love* the bottle scent in a rather unholy, caffeine-addict kind of a way. Once on my skin, the wood comes up strong and heavy, and I love the coffee quite a bit -- of course, when I sit back and stop sniffling my skin itself, it smells like a sweet & sugary coffee. After a while, they meld together and warm on my skin, dragging a very sensual smack into the scent of library. Methinks of caffeine-addled all-nighters in the hallowed halls of Oxford, almost, as I sniff it and gasp in girlish glee. Dear me, I might have to go out and crush on a librarian now.

Bliss! Vice, Snake Oil, DORIAN.

Everything with dragon's blood in it is warm and cuddly.

Mmmm, this is lovely -- Dragon's Hide reminds me of Dragon's Bone, only not nearly as dry and woody. I smell a lot of dragon's blood resiny incense smoke, and a hint of leather. It's rich, dry, sexy, and just plain yummy.

Gosh darn it, I have no idea how to say Tenochtitlan. Someone please help me so I don't make myself look like an idiot in front of pkwench by stammering into a twisted tongue at dinner again? PLEEEEASE?

The Lovers, to me, smacks of lemon rind, bergamot, cinnamon, grasses, and something slightly bitter herbal. It's a little shocking to my sinuses and makes my eyes water, but that slowed as the oils dried. It gets more citrussy the longer it's on my skin and a touch of ginger comes up after a while. The initial blast is rather scary, but then it mellows and becomes deeper and more simply subtle.

Sadly, The Moon is thick, heavy floral with a peppery undercurrent that makes me wince and weep for mercy. Definitely some jasmine and gardenia, and something bitter and almost woody -- juniper, maybe? I'm not sure, but I'm not liking it at all.

I can usually pick up civet a mile away, but I smell a big fat zero of civet in The Devil. I do get a heavy black and red musk mix and some nutmeg and cinnamon. It's very dark, slightly powdery, slightly spicy, and there's a touch of herbal/floral to it down very very deep in the mix. I can say that the floral isn't narcissus because narcissus + civet I could definitely pick up because, man, I'd smell horrible. I kind of like this, kind of not. There's a slight plasticy, bitter scent that comes up after a while, but it's not at all unpleasant with the whole.

The Hermit is a very strong, almost boozy green scent. It's got a bite to it that stays on my skin long after application, and everything else is just your normal green mossy/floral/grassy thing going on. Not loving it but not hating it, and it unsettles me a bit.