mymymai

ITB: It's musky, floral, slightly fruity, and resinous. It does remind me of aged black taffeta - delicate while still being alluring.

Wet: It stars out with bourbon, then I can pick up the geranium followed by the opium, patchouli, and black musk. It's intoxicating at this stage.

Dry: As it dries, it becomes more dusty from the opoponax and patchouli...it certainly reminds me of an attic right now. There is something...a little sweet mustiness, but not in a super positive way - like old cat pee. I'm hoping this changes as it dries further. Okay, phew, the unsettling note is much less prevalent. Now, it's shifted to something more sweetly resinous with notes of bourbon vanilla and opium tar creeping through the darkness. Once dried, this is a beautiful scent!

ITI: Gunpowder tea (spicy and peppery), lavender, and soapy lilac.

Wet: Light lavender, saffron, violet leaf, and faint gunpowder tea. It's a reflective blend.

Dry: It's light, airy, and warm now that the lavender and tea have mellowed to let the saffron shine.

ITB: Strong bamboo pulp, floral teas, and a slightly resinous oude.

Wet: Strong tea, oude, and that a green bamboo pulp. It's interesting, but I'm not sure how well I like it yet.

Dry: It's a bit warmer and less green once dry. It's like faint tee, slight resin, and just an impression of something plant-like.

ITB: It has a fresh soap smell while still being floral from the iris.

Wet: Green tea, lemon balm, something that strikes me as olive oil, a touch of lavender, and sage. It's soothing and makes me want to take a nap.

Dry: Lightly floral with faint lemon balm, green tea, ylang ylang, and lavender.

ITB: I liked the idea of this one before I realized wine and me were not good matches. I get red wine and smoke.

Wet: More red wine, olive leaf, a touch of saffron, and brimstone. It still has a bit too much red wine for my taste.

Dry: Once dry, the wine settles down to let the notes emerge: smoke, frankincense, brimstone, grape vines, galbanum, and stacte. It's much more appealing in this state.

ITB: It reminds me a little of spice drops, but it has a warmth to it from the amber and the musk.

Wet: Spruce, pine, juniper - all of the dark green scents I adore. I get impressions of cool winter air, musk, and a bit of amber, but it is gorgeous just the way it is - intensely green and slightly spooky.

Dry: It's more resinous once dried with the benzoin, ambrette seed, brown musk, which pairs beautifully with the much sedated green of the pine and juniper.

ITB: My first impression is, "Wow, that's really strong cheesecake." On second sniff, I can pick up the lavender some, but the cheesecake is very dominant.

Wet: Lavender fields, a small pot of honey in the distance, and cheesecake right from the oven. I'm not a foody person at all, but this is delicious!

Dry: The lavender has diminished some, so it's only an impression of than and light cheesecake. There might be a little honey, but not enough to be nasty.

ITB: It's bubbly and effervescent from the champagne, but the peach note is very clear here. Thankfully, it isn't an artificial peach, but a wet, juicy one.

Wet: The peach is a bit stronger and it's almost overripe, but the bubbly champagne note keeps it interesting, festive, and inviting.

Dry: It goes ever so faintly powdery, but not enough to weigh down the juicy, effervescent quality of this scent. This is certainly something I'd reach for again.

ITB: This one is more citrus and peach when compared in Water Dragon. Dare I say it, but I'm not picking up any quince.

Wet: King mandarin, kumquat, peach blossom, tangerine, plum and just a little peony. This one I'm liking as I've always been a fan of citrus scents.

Dry: It's lightly floral with a hint of citrus. It's feminine and mellow, which I like. I'm tickled that the quince did not spoil this one for me.

ITB: Very floral rooibos tea and red musk come to mind after first sniff.

Wet: light, scented tea and very faint red musk. It's beautiful and soothing.

Dry: I can pick up both kinds of musk along with sightly sweetened rooibos tea. This is a keeper.

ITB: Vanilla ice cream with caramel drizzled on top.

Wet: It's an odd vanilla ice cream now, like something artificial and chemically added to it.

Dry: It smells like vanilla, honey (which is a no-no one me), and beeswax for some reason.

ITB: Nope, It smells like something rotten has been covered over the citrus and florals.

Wet: Still gross. Quince dances on my skin like a dervish while the Buddha's Hand, which smells like lemon, tries to calm it down to no avail. I get some bamboo, chrysanthemum, and more citrus (mandarin and tangerine) with a touch of sesame, but I'm fighting the urge to wash it off immediately. It's taking all of my will power.

Dry: It's a bit better once dried - the quince is still there and still makes me cringe, but I can pick up more floral and more citrus, including the lychee and the plum. If there wasn't any quince in it, I'd like this much, much better.

ITB: Incense, cypress, honey myrtle, and pink musk. It's resinous while being slightly sweet as well.

Wet: It's incense and artificially pink, which must be the pomegranate as that note doesn't sit well on my skin as often. As it starts to settle, I can pick up the orange blossom a bit more strongly.

Dry: I get a bit more coconut along with orange blossom, pomegranate, honey myrtle (slight Honey Bucket here, but not enough to make me scrub my skin), musk, and incense.

Reviewed after aging nearly 2 years from the previous review.

ITB: It's bright and clean - not what I was expecting. I can pick up the lemon flower, the heliotrope, and the apricot flower.

Wet: It's really pretty, even on my skin. Lemon and apricot flower, tuberose (faint), and bright heliotrope. I get the impression of vanilla, but it isn't strong at all.

Dry: The opium and mus now surround the apricot, lemon, and heliotrope, softening and adding some complexity. The lemon is still the most pronounced, but the vanilla gives everything a creamy tone, which is oddly relaxing.

ITB: The lavender and verbena are rather strong together, making the scent seem more masculine than I had anticipated.

Wet: The lavender has softened some and is now followed by the musk, then the verbena. I can pick up a hint of vetiver, but it's nowhere as strong as it usually is on my skin.

Dry: As it starts to dry, the lavender amps big time, followed by the verbena and vetiver. I can get what tony is saying about the pine, but it's like walking into a lavender field - almost overwhelming. Now that it is completely dry, the vetiver, verbena, fig, and coconut come out and mingle with the lavender. It reminds me of a man wearing a nice cologne but who is also smoking very expensive tobacco.

ITB: Beautiful fougere, tea, musk, and jasmine leaf.

Wet: The fougere is a bit citrusy once on my skin. I can start picking up the vanilla, which is softening the tea and jasmine leaf ever so slightly. This would be a great unisex scent, although I'd fight my husband to wear this one myself.

Dry: Delightful tea, thick musk, sweet and creamy vanilla bean, and a deliciously sophisticated fougere. *Swoon*.

ITB: I can pick up jasmine, mimosa, violet (very faint), and vanilla from the bottle.

Wet: It's jasmine sambac - a sophisticated version, although it hints of baby oil as well. I can pick up a little of vanilla bean and a touch of musk. It's complex and strangely innocent at the same time.

Dry: The jasmine sambac is just gorgeous once dried - compelling while not dominating, and when paired with the vanilla and musk, it brings out a strongly feminine quality to the overall scent.

ITB: Resinous and floral are my first impressions. It smells a tad like a fougere, but I can certainly pick up the benzoin, amber, lemon rind, and cardamom.

Wet: Oh yes, that lemon rind is strong on my skin. It's followed by the rosemary, rosewood, bergamot, musk, amber, and cardamom. It's dark and alluring, while still being bright. It's certainly an interesting combination of notes.

Dry: Delicious once dried. I'm adoring the resinous nature of the benzoin mixed with the amber, musk, light lemon, rosewood, and a touch of coriander. It's just lovely!

ITB: It's rather astringent from the sage, tobacco, and bourbon, more so that I had anticipated with these notes.

Wet: Chamomile stalks, sage, coconut, tobacco, and bourbon. It's still a bit bitter for my taste.

Dry: It's less bitter now - coconut, tobacco, bourbon vanilla, tonka, and a touch of sage. It's so much nicer once dried.

ITB: It's sweetly floral. The osmanthus and musk temper the lily of the valley, for which I'm thankful.

Wet: It reminds me of a designer perfume a little. If you crossed Burberry Brit with Sugar's Fresh Lemon, you would have this scent. It's a fresh, bright floral with citrus for some reason and just a hint of resin. It's rather beautiful, actually.

Dry: It's now powdery and resinous from the frankincense and osmanthus. There is a faint floral, but I wish it were stronger. I like this much better wet, although it isn't bad now dried.

ITB: Super Pepto-Bismo pink-flavored strawberry drink. And vanilla.

Wet: I get artificial strawberry, vanilla, and a touch of cognac. It's a bit sweet for me.

Dry: It's strawberry candy once dried on my skin. I really wish there was more complexity to this, but for some reason, it seems pretty flat to my nose.

ITB: It's herb, but a warm herb and a touch of resin alongside the orange. It's actually rather pretty.

Wet: I can pick up a minty catnip, an odorous, almost smoky wood, and the scent one can catch of oranges in the next room.

Dry: After 12 hours, I don't get much other than a faint herby musk. Once reapplied, it's woodsy and smoky muddled with mint and refreshing catnip and just a hint of orange. Gorgeous!

ITB: It's bright and fizzy, like a pink grapefruit cocktail brimmed with violet sugar.

Wet: Candied grapefruit, yuzu, violet leaf, peony all come together in a beautifully feminine scent so far.

Dry: It gets a touch powdery, but it's still a candied fruit and floral delight.

In the Bottle (ITB): It's somewhat green while being floral and resinous at the same time.

Wet:Much more earthy now. I get oakmoss, mandrake, champaca flower, impressions of currant and lavender, and perhaps the softly resinous and uplifting scent of dammar.

Dry: It's faint and powdery after a few hours, but I can tease out the champaca and the dammar.

In the Imp (ITI): It smells like baked sweet bread, maple syrup, freshly threshed wheat, raisins, and nut meal.

Wet: It's very much the same as in the imp, but with the addition of smooshed banana.

Dry: It's like brown sugar and cream of wheat with a few more spices and some bear claw pastries on the side.