maribouquet

imp: milky sweet and a bit snowy/ozone

wet: warms up and smells a little watery somehow, like a cucumber. The waft is lovely, but the ozone/greenish scent it a little much...I'm worried as I really want to like this one. (lol peer pressure)

dry: Up close this smells funny to me, sort of like watercress, but the throw is indescribably lovely

 

Sorry to say I never had the chance to try previous versions so I can't compare to those, but I may end up getting a bottle of this one.

 

ETA: I keep getting a persistent minty plastic sort of note...I can't tell if I like it or not. It smells a bit like almond cookies, but also like toothpaste. Snow White lasts for hours and hours on me, and the longer I wait the better it smells, but the first several hours are ruled by that strange note.

 

I'm going to keep my decant for now and keep testing...

imp: orchard apple

wet: now I can pick up the honey, too

dry: The apple is all "bam!" on me. Emeril in apple form? Hmm. I can kind make out the peach, though that may be wishful thinking.

 

Oh! Suddenly! The apple has let me by and here is a well-whirled mix of peach, honey, and something warm and dry (skin musk? myrrh?)

 

On further drydown this becomes slightly less fruity and more meditative - that must be the F&M. And a hint of rose.

In the imp the verbena is very strong (that's the one that smells a bit like citronella, right?) but wet it is a nice grapefruit and lemon scent. Very fresh, so much so that it's making me thirsty! This gets grassier and tangy as it starts to dry.

 

I like this - it reminds me a bit of the TAL Concentration, but I enjoy this scent more. And I think it will make a lovely study blend, as I do seem to be phobic of sitting down to work. Terror and mortal fear, indeed.

Let's see. *looks at notes* Lily, lily... Prediction: this is going to suck on me. Awesome!

 

I like an adventure, though, and I'm always ready to be surprised, soooo...

 

imp: pollen dust cherry! holla!

wet: mmm, I like this cherry. It's juicy. The lily is a yellow dust.

dry: all lily, all the time

 

Sneeze city.

Hello My Name Is...THROW!

 

imp: strong, sweet wine with a cough syrup tang at the end

wet: THROWWWW!

drying: the wine settles down and the rose comes up a bit. A leetle bit powdery, I think - is that the black musk or the myrrh, I wonder?

 

After about 15 minutes the wine starts to sour on me (at least I think it is the wine - it could be the myrrh?) I'm not a huge fan of grapey/wine scents in general, so it's okay. May retest down the road as I think this is a neat combination with the rose.

imp: pine? something gummy, pungent, sweet like a crushed ant. maybe ginger, too?
wet: if a forest were made of the ocean, it would smell like this
dry: is that peppermint?

This smells like a man (or a hot stone butch) who has just brushed his teeth and is about to come cuddle me in bed. I like this scent, but I don't think I'll wear it enough to want to keep my imp.

imp: spicy amber

wet: I smell the patchouli. The amber is very strong, almost powdery

dry: amber! amber! patchouli! amber! spices! amber!

imp/wet: I smell the bamboo! Very fresh. Plus a sweet, fruity sort of wood. Nice!

dry: sexy - rich, almost chocolaty in texture with no hint of powder.

 

I'm digging this - it is a little masculine, and Snake Oil has a tendency to turn on me, so I'll have to test it some more over time to be sure that it works and I like it.

This is very light on me so it's difficult to make out the notes, but it's gorgeous. It is similar to Ozymandias, but musky with a hint of sweetness.

imp: minty grass

wet: dew-kissed grass and wispy, unidentifiable pale flowers

dry: same as above, but the mint reappears

 

As it sits, it becomes rounder and warmer, almost fruity sweet.

 

Very much a morning scent, especially with the grassy notes. (what are they??) I almost expect to hear birds peeping.

imp: dark and gilded, like brandy in a decanter

wet: resinous - that must be the labdanum? No florals yet, just a richness like a liquor

dry: sweet, rich brandy

 

This is so classy and makes me think of 1920s decor, lacquered wood, rich wines and browns, dark satin. However, it's too much for me and there is something in here that hits the back of my throat in a very prickly way.

 

Something I will re-test down the road, as I think it is really intriguing...

imp: pale gold floral

wet: frankincense and lily

dry: powdery, alkaline floral

 

Calla lily is not playing nice with me at all. Boo.

imp: almonds

wet: warm, sweet almond and the juiciness of apple. The lily begins to peek out, and the rose...and the fig! This is nice.

dry: has morphed from a lightly floral foody scent into a musky, figgy floral.

 

now honeyed lily, which is working like a miracle...with hints of fig and apple here and there.

 

So neat - I am going to wear this some more and see how the stages play out/around.

imp: soft spices

wet: SOFT SPICES!!!1! Sort of a buttery texture, slight powdery note that I think must be the unnamed florals

dry: unpleasantly powdery waxy floral.

 

I can't pick out the notes, but this smells dusty/pollen-like the way lily sometimes (ok, usually!) does on me. I like spices, so I'm bummed this one didn't work out for me.

I think Quietude has a a muted citrus scent to it, like the white part of a lemon rind. And also all sorts of herbs that I of course cannot identify, but there is something that reminds me of TKO, as it has that same sort of aerated scent at first.

 

Felt sick and woke up with a nasty cold yesterday, so when nap-time rolled around a few hours later I slathered this all over my wrists, neck, etc. and settled it. This is a very peaceful, calming scent - lives up to it's name that's for sure. I had a wonderful nap with good quality sleep, and my sweatshirt still smells like it!

 

ETA: I really love this one. TKO is sweetly comforting and soporific, but Quietude has no equal when it comes to quieting the mind. It's soothing in a cool, light sort of way - perfect for when I need a rest from stress or sickness.

imp: sort of carmel

wet: this reminds me of some of the TALs I've tried, like Anthelion and Crucible of Courage. To me, it has that same sort of powdery, sweet floral smell

 

As this sits on my skin the vanilla becomes apparent - this is a sweet, powdery floral. I can't pick out notes in this, but as it dries it starts to smell sour in a carmelized way.

 

This isn't really working for me, and I blame the jasmine, which pretty much always goes sour and is a no-no for me.

Classic and womanly - first the orchid, and a rose background. The musk emerges after a little while. I think I smell some green in the rose. Nice; reminds me of my mother's toilette.

At first I can smell the orchid, and then the vanilla/tonka (I can't tell them apart yet) a few minutes later. Throughout I get a tangy, berry-like smell...is that the champaca flower? This is very youthful and intently flirty.

imp: almonds!

wet: strong sweet almond with a vanilla base, and I can feel the cinnamon rather than smell it

dry: I still don't know what heliotrope smells like, nor can I pick out frankincense with any certainty, but as this dries it becomes less foody and takes on an airy yet warm tone. It gets a little flour-y (yep, like baking!)...This smells like prayer in the pantry. Warm and comforting.

 

I'm really liking this! Keeping my imp, and if it continues to wear well, this might end up as a bottle purchase.

I can't pick out the notes, but to me this smells sweetly medicinal and astringently fresh, as though I'm cleaning a cut or have just washed my face after crying. It doesn't smell 'good', but it is bracing and clear.

Something in here smells like almonds to me...a deep, well-spiced, boiling, almost peppery scent.

Honey and currant are iffy notes for me - and here they start of nice and sweet, but something in this...I just don't like it. The elements are all nice, but the way they play with my skin is just meh.

The verbena is very strong at first, but tempered, and it fades down quickly enough. This is mostly musk and iris and it's very nice! I'm not sure that I can pick out the anise or the fennel, but whatever they are doing, this blend is lovely.

 

I tend to prefer the paler musks, but Proshitapathika puts me in mind to try more dark musks.

This starts out promising with a fresh, spring-like berry scent with a smoky hint, but the dry down reveals the snake oil, which as per usual goes to play-dough on me. Lovely, amber play-dough, but sadly not something I can wear and enjoy. Oh well!

 

The acaí is such an interesting note - I hope we'll see it again in other blends.

imp: pepper!

wet: mmm, pepper pepper pepper and warm citrus

dry: this is totes pepper and mandarin for about 10 minutes, and then something starts to smell weird, like dead leaves - I'm guessing that's the vetiver, though I've never gotten this reaction from it...maybe it's the vetiver/tobacco combination? The amber comes up after about 20 min, but I'm still smelling that strange dry funk.

 

Sorry to say this one's just not working on me. I like the pepper, but it's overwhelming me and the vetiver/tobacco/? is being weird and ruining my Gorgons. Wah.