maribouquet

Nice at first, but my skin converts it directly to B.O.

I don't really smell the honey in this - just lots and lots of juicy, slightly-tart acai at first, and plenty of poppy in the drydown. It smells sort of like tulips (?) to me, and ends up going overly green to my nose. Oh well! Lots of fun to try.

At first this is strong, bitter herbs, though think I can pick out a hint of the apple blossom. It changes a few times while wet and drying, and when dry it smells a little spicy and a little sweet, like hay and the sweetness of old, sun-bleached shingles or planks. Really evocative and original.

Sorry, John, but this just isn't working out. It's not you, it's my chemistry.

This smells like flower medicine on me, and it's unpleasant.

The combination of the sweet notes is divine, but the dry down is sour on me - maybe the iris or the bourbon part?

I like the spicy pepper note, but the overall combination smells dirty on, and not in a good way.

I mostly smell the ozone, mint and ginger. Light and clean but with the tingly feeling of charged air. I like it.

Wet, this smells light, watery and unidentifiable. When it dries I get a very pure, light honey scent. Very nice!

If you'll allow me the comparison, Steamworks reminds me very much of Arcana's Alhambra. Only with sage instead of rosemary, and I smell a similar sort of herbs/beeswax duo when wet. I like this very much - it does smell the way I'd expect gold and bronze to smell - bright, with a bit of a haloed tang. The sage is lovely and reminds me of being in Greece. Very nice!

Oh my goodness, this smells like mounds and mounds of fluffy, white men's shaving cream! My skin's crazy femme interpretation of what sounds like a to-die-for masculine scent on others. And something in here - maybe the oak? - starts to go a little green after half an hour.

Sexy - dry tobacco, a touch of sweet from the carmel, and cinnamon. The patchouli and currant are lurking dirty in the background, just a bit! Not sure if it's really me enough to want a bottle, but I'm enjoying it. Really fits the theme.

Wet, this smells lightly sour in a resins and wood sort of way. Not unpleasant. Continues to be sour and alkaline. Just not good on me. Myrrh and jasmine just do not jibe with me. Ah, well.

Cream notes are the antichrist for my skin, apparently. Candy butcher smells like a bad taxi cab air freshener on me. Wah.

My chemistry stomps all over this; I mostly get a super sweet acidic hibiscus smell.

I wanted to love this, but the cream note just didn't work for me. Bad, skin, bad!

Oh, yeah, that's aquatic! I can also smell something toasty and a vanilla-like sweetness, and as it dries the bitter almond emerges and adds a richness and depth.

Ultimately it's not for me - aquatics seem to flatten out into Irish Spring soap on me.

Just lovely. The rose is very true and the sugar sweetness is perfectly balanced.

You know, I really don't like violet - but I think I can wear and enjoy Faith. The sweetness cuts the soap factor that I feel from violet. Very nicely done!

Oh, dear - I was enjoying this one but it gives me a terrible rash. Yikes!!

I am not sure what to make of this one. The first 20 minutes are kind of a mess on me - I like the sassafras, but I mostly get a morass of grease and powder and general huh?-ness. The sassafras fades, but that is okay because I end up with a sort of cakey yet sophisticated vanilla. But the drydown is oddly powdery. I'm not sure that this is going to work for me, but it's truly an interesting blend. Will try it again.

A play in three acts:

Mango!

PATCHOULI! PATCHOULI!

fig?

Nice, strong citrus at first. The drydown is a bit creamy and oddly flat. Not at all unpleasant, just not really doing it for me.

It must be the ajowan and tamarind that I'm smelling the most: Indian spice and a fermented sort of fruity smell. This is so interesting, but I don't think I can pull it off as a scent. Mostly it just smells like an Indian restaurant on me. Ah, well.

They myrrh and ylang ylang just go dusty and sour on me, respectively. Swaps!

This smells a lot like Shub, but with a thick lashing of dark, dark patchouli! Sort of yummy even though I don't like really dark patch. Spicy!