mymymai

In the Imp (ITI): I can barely smell anything over the super foody tones of the pastry note. On second sniff, I can smell the sharp, cold floral of the orchid, but the other notes are still rather difficult to discern.

Wet: Ah, much better. I can detect snow, moss, felwort, all the lovely greenness I adore in my scents. The buttercup is light, but certainly a middle note here, and the pastry adds a warm afternote after each sniff.

Dry: Pastries and flowers – interesting, but just a little too foody.

In the Imp (ITI): Strong, soapy florals of plumeria, lilies, and dahlia. I don’t get any incense at all or sage for that matter.

Wet: Soapy floral, oh no.

Dry: It smells of faint florals, most notably dahlia, lily, tiger lily, and tuberose. There is still, however, the overpowering soapy overtone. This isn’t for me.

In the Imp (ITI): Strong rooibos tea, pumpkin, and a spicy combination of cardamom, fennel, pepper, and ginger assault my nose with its pungency. It really is rather spicy.

Wet: The foody aspect of the pumpkin is strong in the wet phase, but thew spiciness of fennel, ginger, cardamon, and tea make it a scent I wouldn’t otherwise have considered liking.

Dry: It smells like strong pumpkin masala with hints of tea. I’m interesting, exotic, but just a little foody. I like this more than I thought I would.

In the Imp (ITI): On first sniff, I get heavy cream and sugar. The following sniff exposes the brandy, but the other notes are absent.

Wet: Right off, it smells like cream and paper. After I sniff longer, it begins to share scent characteristics with Lush's Snowcake. I think it is the combination of sugar, cream and perhaps rum. This is not what I expected this scent to smell like.

Dry: It's very faint, but the scent is primarily composed of vanilla, just a little rum, and a dash of nutmeg. Honestly, it isn't the most offensive foody scent I've tested. It's not bad.

In the Imp (ITI): This smells very strongly of vanilla-infused sugar cookies, heavy on the sugar.

Wet: Color me surprised, but the scent morphs to a mighly spiced medley of cinnamon and nutmeg with a little dough behind it. If it stays like this, I may actualy keep it!

Dry: Dang, it went back to sugar cookie dough with hints of cinnamon and nutmeg. Sadly, the dough i more prominent and it's just too foody.

2011

In the Imp (ITI): Wow, my nose must be off. I smell butterscotch on first sniff. Then I can tease out the myrrh and frankincense and just a hint of the wine grapes. It’s rather foody, but not offensively so in the bottle.

Wet: Hmm, on my skin the wine grape and olive leaf come to the forefront. There is a little frankinsence, but I really don’t smell the cake aspect anymore. It’s certainly not as sweet on my skin.

Dry: Still lots of wine grapes, some myrrh and frankincense, and foody cake. I’m not a fan, but it isn’t horrible.

Other Impressions: Husband hands-down likes it. This is the first really enthusiastic response I’ve gotten from him. It smells like powder and incense to him.

In the Imp (ITI): Although my nose is a little stuffy, I smell the sweet fragrance of violet with the pungent qualities of bergamot and sandalwood. On second sniff, I can smell chamomile, which I find interesting showing up in this note.

Wet: Lovely violet infused with primrose and musk. Oddly the bergamot and sandalwood are nearly undetectable at this stage.

Dry: After 15 hours, the scent is uber faint. However, I get faint traces of violet and rose. After reapplication, there is a powdery aspect to the musk , but the primrose is lovely and dominant. The violet is still a strong secondary note, though. There is just a little spiciness from the sandalwood, but I have to really concentrate in order to detect it.

In the Imp (ITI): I smell hop grassiness with hints of berries. There is a nice warmness to the scent as it reminds me of a day running through sun-rippened grains in the early summer/late spring.

Wet: The berry combined with the hogweed and foxglove goes slightly chemically at first, but the marsh grass and the beer even it out within seconds of application.

Dry: The berries and hogweed dry down to a chemically scent again. There is a little note of beer, but it is barely discernible.

In the Imp (ITI): Oh, now this is the dark amber that I like. It's exotic and sensual paired with the skin musk. There is a faint whiff of hemlock as I exhale and some sweetness from the tobacco. There is a little bit of the orchid as a sweet floral at the top of this note. Very seductive in the bottle.

Wet: Heady, animalistic for some reason, slightly earthy delight meets my nose. The ambers, musk,and labdanum provide a sensuous base for the sweet but exotic orchid and the intoxicating tobacco.

Dry: The headiness of the scent has softened, but the combination of musk, amber, and tobacco is lovely while sexy at the same time,

In the Imp (ITI): There has a lovely woodsiness from the teak and sandalwood, but contains a sweet, seductiveness from the bourbon vanilla and the animalistic notes of the castoreum accord, which hints at a dangerous nature and perhaps a well choreographed struggle. The tobacco as an odd dimension, as it gives the scent a "cleanliness" aspect.

Wet: Clean teak and sandalwood, animalistic castoreum, a slight powderiness from the vanilla, earthiness from the patchouli all mix to give woodsy yet oriental infused vision.

Dry: On my skin, the vanilla has turned slightly powdery, but it's tempered by the teak and the sandalwood. There is just the faintest waft of tobacco and pepper. It's lovely, warm, woodsy, and slightly disquieting.

In the Imp (ITI): What a lovely, woodsy scent. I smell the tolu balsam infused with the astringent and clamming properties of bay. There are hints of sweetness, either from the amber or the musk. It’s lovely so far.

Wet: The balsam is now warmed by the amber, and the astringent quality of the bay prevents the sweetness from becoming cloying. There is just a hint of pepper in the background, but it’s a lovely scent that reminds me of the ryokan in Japan.

Dry: Sweet amber-infused wood with a slight hint of bay when dry. It’s a lovely warm wood scent.

In the Imp (ITI): On the initial sniff, I get chocolate and butter cream frosting.

Wet: I get more chocolate on my skin (I think my skin amps it) than butter cream. There is also the faintest hint of soil.

Dry: As it dries, the chocolate becomes less prominent and allows for the butter cream to share a supporting role. I don't get the filth aspect (dirt) anymore - just chocolate, chocolate, and a hint of frosting. It's not as horribly foody as I thought and if I ever wanted to smell super sweet but not sickeningly so, I would reach for this.

In the Imp (ITI): Ugh, aquatics. It smells like the over-chemically ocean scents with the pungent aroma of kelp tossed in for good measure. There is an element that smells like men's cologne and just a hint of sweetness from the amber.

Wet: Nope, not for me. Men's cologne with Glade Ocean and kelp. Help! I can't smell any of the nice complexity that I did while in the bottle. It's a pure aquatic nightmare.

As it starts to dry, the musk, leather, and spices peak out, but nothing can save the headache that is coming on from this scent.

Dry: Oddly salty, but balanced with the leather, musk, faint spices. It's not bad dried, but I'm not willing to work through the wet phase to give this as much love as it deserves.

In the Imp (ITI): It smells like a combination of blueberry and watermelon Bubbleyum. It’s foody, but I like it. On second sniff, I get musk and just a hint of the gardenia. The wood, sadly, is missing.

Wet: Strawberries, watermelon and blueberry jam complimented by the sweetness of musk, just a touch of a floral bouquet – it seems like a picnic in the middle of a field surrounded by woods off in the distance – very idyllic.

Dry: After 8 hours, I can’t really smell much, so I need to retest it. On second test, the gardenia and woods begin to actually show up once the scent dries down. Once dry for a little while, it makes for a daintily faint floral and fruity scent. The combination is sweet but slightly sinister at the same time (thank you, wood and gardenia notes).

In the Imp (ITI): I get ripe, green apples, a bit of bubblegum (not sure where that is coming from), and just the faintest aspect of herbiness. It’s a bright and pretty scent in the imp.

Wet:Ripe while still firm apple, slightly herby, like rosemary, and just a hint of overt sweetness like amber. I fear it could go a little chemically on my as there is just a tinge of it now, it the apple certainly is interesting.

Dry: Faintly apple and a sweet herbiness. Very pretty in terms of a spring scent.

In the Imp (ITI): The patchouli, the first note I noticed, is a very dirty, earthy one. It reminds me of loam. However, the bourbon vanilla follows close behind, which makes the combination rather pleasant. On second sniff, the tobacco and cocoa both make an appearance, smelling like novelty flavored tobacco.

Wet: Dirty patchouli, cocoa, tobacco, and just a hint of vanilla – this scent is incredibly earthy and it reminds me of running through the forest after a fresh rain in fall.

Dry: The tobacco is strongest now, with hints of vanilla and patchouli. It’s a nice earthy scent that I would wear on occasion given opportunity.

Other Impressions: Hubby smells amber and mildew. Odd. When I told him there was patchouli in the notes, he said “ah, ok, that’s the mildew”.

In the Imp (ITI): Ok, it reminds me of the old plug in Glade scents. I think it is the lilt of the valley as this floral aspect is a bit too strong for me. It certainly wakes me up though. On second sniff, there is some sweetness from the pear and the musk. I do hope those take over once on my skin.

Wet: Still too overly floral and chemically with the lily of the valley, but the pear comes more the the forefront, as is the musk. If the lily of the valley can diminish completely, I may actually like this scent. Otherwise, it’s very floral, very feminine, but just not me.

Dry: 30 minutes dry, the lily of the valley is now behaving itself and it allows the rose and the pear to come out and play. At this point, all the notes are balanced. It’s pretty, but the floral is making it go just a tad soapy on me.

In the Imp (ITI): Incredibly cloying. It smells like cherry cough syrup with a secondary note of bubble gum. Oh no!

Wet: he cloying red cherry lollipop scent is drying down, but the bubblegum is taking over. The perfume ads a spicy note, but it's still too sweet on me. Still not liking it.

Dry: The bubblegum, while the predominate note, is close to the skin. I smell a touch of perfume, rounding out the uber sweetness of the gum, but it still is too sweet for me.

In the Imp (ITI): As I inhale, I get an interesting combination of sweet, incense-like smoke with smoky (like over charcoal) flames. I also get a touch of menthol, which is interesting since it is not in the scent notes.

Wet: I’m still getting strong menthol (or benzoin) and smoky incense. I don’t get the ashy or charcoal scent anymore. Even with it, I still like this combination. It’s unusual and reminds me of winters lounging around a wood-burning fireplace.

Dry: The dried scent dissipates very quickly. There is the faintest hint of incense-laden smoke. I’m sad it doesn’t last beyond 3-4 hours before I need to reapply.

In the Imp (ITI): Wow, super strong lilac. This does not bode well as lilac turns soapy and just a little antiseptic on my skin. I can’t detect any other notes, sadly. I know the title refers to pansy, but all I can smell is lilac.

Wet: Ah, here is the pansy with lilac, although I think there is a little carnation and perhaps just the tiniest rose. It’s still a bit too floral for me and it makes me want to sneeze.

Dry:Sweet, nearly candy-like floral. It reminds me of carnation, well-behaved lilac, and rose. Too floral - in the swap pile we go.

In the Imp (ITI): Heady opium opens the show, followed by the Nepalese musk, the slightly spicy plum, , flanked by the resins. It’s exotic but certainly romantic at the same time.

Wet: Spicy plum, heady opium, musk and amber combine in a forceful but pleasant experience. As it dries the plum and the resins get stronger.

Dry: 12 hours later, it still remains, faint enough not to be overpowering, but strong enough to still smell well on my wrist. Dry, the opium, sweet incense, and amber have merged together in a lovely combination that is indeed romantic. It reminds me of walking a room heavy with incense but tinged with sweet florals and subtle treats. Lovely!.

In the Imp (ITI): Oh, what a beautifully feminine scent. It’s the sweet innocence of freshly blooming carnation with the juicy and sensuality of plum and musk. I do hope the scent translates well on my skin.

Wet: Ripe plum with the sweet and spicy floral of carnation provide a sweetly sensual base for the musk.

Dry: It’s gone slightly soapy, but the plum and the carnation are still fairly discernible. I liked it much better wet, although it’s still a nice, feminine floral.

In the Imp (ITI): I initially get the scent of lightly candied oranges and tangerines. There is a bit of spiciness from the cinnamon and just a touch of woodiness from the teak. It’s an interesting scent so far.

Wet:On my skin, the teak and amber begin to make themselves known, but there entrance is flanked my the candied citrus, the cinnamon, and the sweetly spicy licorice. There is the faintest hint of vetiver, but not enough to pull the scent in any one direction. I like it so far.

Dry: Yum! Sweet amber that hasn’t turned to powder with hints of orange, tangerine, and cinnamon. It’s delicious on my skin. Hmm, getting more might be troublesome though.

In the Imp (ITI): Cocoa, fruit cake or spice cake, and perhaps a little pine. Um, this may not be for me. I’m generally not a foody when it comes to scents.

Wet: The cocoa is verb prominent on my skin, although the spice cake is coming though (a bit of battery tones mixed with cinnamon), and once again, the pine is merely hanging out in the background. I would like this scent much more if the pine was a major player. It’s not super foody, but I still don’t love it.

Dry: The cinnamon is stronger once dry, although there is still the base note of cake and cocoa, which I don’t mind, but of which I’m not terribly fond. There is the faintest hint of pine, but not enough to make it something I would wear.

In the Imp (ITI): Very strong opium, almost as if I walked into an opium den. At the very back of the scent is the honeysuckle as well as the earthy grassiness of the vetivert. This certainly makes an impression. I almost need to set it down after my first sniff, it’s so heady.

Wet: A grassy, earthy, opium filled-reverie with the faint innocence of honeysuckle gently steering this scent away from pure headiness. Although it’s an unusual scent, I rather like it.

Dry: Now 11 hours dry, I smell the innocently floral scent of honeysuckle and a hint of opium, making the scent have that slightly exotic scent that is so alluring.

Other Impressions: A coworker of mine sat two seats away from me and mentioned that something smelled like incense to her at it was very relaxing. For a super hectic day, I think Anathema was a perfect choice.