surlygurl

So. I sniffed my decant of this odd mildewed raincoat & rollups scent and thought "coconut? Huh?" I decided to wear it to work since I've been on a coconut kick lately. Results of the highly scientific study are as follows

Wet: Coconut. Like Elegba but without the sugared rum. With a milkiness added. And something entwined with the milkiness that I can't quite figure out.

Drydown: Whatever the 'can't figure out' thing is has blended with the coconut to produce.... mildew? No. Dust. Old dust, if that makes sense. At this point it's still softly pretty, but the dust thing is disconcerting. Like finding an old shirt in the back of the dresser. That old wood smell.

Dry: let's see.... Someone took a wooden children's toy, spilled tanning lotion on it, moved the toy to the attic where it gathered dust in that dry lightless place for many years, only to be rediscovered. And sniffed.

This scent scores points for authenticity, but I don't see myself wearing it.

This imp came to me in a swap. One of those "Gee, I haven't tried this before. May as well" decisions.

 

Wet. Nasty! Eeeerrrr -- Ick! (Reading over the notes, that must be the vertiver.)

Drydown: Not so bad. A bit .... harsh, but mellowing. Something sweetish and a bit spicy coming out.

Dry: Gently spiced cotton candy with a hint of earthiness. Really, really pretty.

 

Overall, it's a definite keeper. Something I'll save for when the weather starts to cool in the fall.

C'mon gang, where's the Faustus love?

 

Blasphemous, you say?

"Faustus: An infusion of incalculable power and irresistible temptation. Truly an exercise in megalomania and self-gratification: frankincense and cinnamon, darkened by violet."

 

Sounds like it's right up your alley.....

This was a frimp in my most recent order. Considering that I'm on a coconut kick, this is a very good thing.

 

Wet: Smells almost buttery. Buttery coconut. With other smells playing around the sides that darken it slightly.

Drydown: The butter goes away (thankfully!), while the tobacco gives the coconut a slightly masculine/gritty feel. The sugared rum adds a sparkle while cutting the ...innocence(?).... of the coconut.

Dry: It's gone! No, wait.... As soon as I decide to apply more, the gentle scent wafts upwards. As if it is saying "I'm here if you need me. Just call."

 

Over all: This scent is very grounding. It's extremely pretty in a unisex way - if smells were colors, it would be blond wood. This is a 'me' scent, not an 'I'm going to wear this and seduce/charm/etc. others' scent. And it's lovely.

This is my absolute favorite of all the Snakes. In the bottle and fresh on my skin it smells "eh, whatever". As it starts to dry down, a fruity green wood comes to the front and it glows. Then there's the addition of Snake Oil (I guess - I've never tried it ) - like a white incense, if that makes sense.

 

And it lasts & lasts. I put some on when I got to work @ 8:30. I still catch whiffs of it 8 hours later! I may need a second bottle before the Carnivale leaves town....

This is all golden warm spice *purrrrr*.

 

It starts off not too spicy, with the amber in front. Then the spices come out to play. I never really get hyssop or patchouli. The spices may be the same as in Mama-ji, but there are no flowers here. Just Golden Spice.

 

Once its dry it goes a tiny bit powdery, but that just lends a gentleness to the powerful spices. This is my favorite Carousel scent by far!

I wasn't sure what to expect with spicy florals/ flowery spices.

 

When first applied it was strong spices with lots of rose. I don't like rose . But as it dried down, either the rose dissipated or I got used to it, because the spices came to the forefront.

 

When dry, this is soft spices without much throw. It wafts a little when I move my arms or when a breeze blows. Spices on a blanket of 'proud' florals (I don't know how else to describe it). Mysterious and sexy

I knew it! When I read the description of Possion d'Avril I visualized light pink & light blue (I'm one of those people who match scents with colors). Oh how I hope it smells that way....

 

Is there a picture of Bloody Mary (bottle) somewhere?

There's a pic in the first review in the reviews thread. It's an excellent label! Of course, I envision a woman in Tudor dress, because that's what "Bloody Mary" says to me, but I'm kind of a history geek.

 

ETA: ooops, beachbabealways beat me!

D'oh!!! Thanks!

I knew it! When I read the description of Possion d'Avril I visualized light pink & light blue (I'm one of those people who match scents with colors). Oh how I hope it smells that way....

 

Is there a picture of Bloody Mary (bottle) somewhere?

Are people still getting the comments eating page on paypal? I want to place my 13 order, but don't want to have to bother the Lab with a followup email to confirm my order. I'm still getting the page that WAS eating the comments, but wonder if they've fixed that glitch.

I've made a few paypal orders using the 'glitchy' page (or pages). The last time it ate my info was the Pink Moon order. It seems to be working now

Of all the Faces, this one is the most evocative. Bear with me.

 

In the imp: Lemon candy!!

Wet on skin: Lemon Candy!! And something herbal…..

Drydown: Less lemon, more herbs. It goes through a bitter phase that I could do without, but the herbal concept fascinates me.

Dry: dried herbs with very light lemon

 

Once this dries on me (after about 45 minutes) the herbs really come out, but they are dried and soft. The first ‘vision’ I got was of a Greek hilltop in late summer when the herbs were brown & dry but fragrant. Next I saw the small house of an herbalist/rootworker who has freshly picked herbs drying in the next room and is now going through her old dried herbs to replace them with newer stuff. The window is open, letting light and fresh air in, but it’s still a bit dusty from the old herbs.

 

The scent is not sweet, not bitter, just earthy. This is something I’d like to always have on hand, but how often will I wear it?

I'm probably just paranoid, but I placed a paypal order this morning. However, when I received the receipt from PayPal it didn't have my "notes" section like it usually does. Does this mean the lab didn't receive it either?

 

The same thing happened with me. I sent the lab (answers @____) my order - just in case, but they didn't see it so I received an email requesting the information. Talk about good customer service!

 

From now on, I'm going to copy & paste my paypal order into a word doc, just in case it gets eaten.

This is a strange blend. I get very few of the notes listed above - especially no orange. But what I do smell is very pretty on me.

 

It starts out with a slightly old-fashioned medicinal smell. This soon turns to men's cologne, but that phase lasts only a minute or two. The woodsier smells come out, followed by the spices and something soft. There's still a faint medicinal smell, but that just adds to the woodspice.

 

I have an incense at home that is a blend of vanilla and allspice - very yummy. To my nose, this is the oil equivalent. Vanilla (!?), spices, and freshly cut wood. I don't get 'villainy' at all from this. It is slightly masculine, but in a 'clean cut teenage boy who gets good grades and goes camping in the snow' type way. Strong but soft.

Dragon’s Musk

 

In the vial: that cherry-ish sweetness with musk combo

On skin: same, with a beautiful melding

drydown: sophisticated, sexy, slightly high pitched musk …bold & gorgeous!

 

The REAL review: First, let me state that I’m not a big fan of Dragon’s Blood. If patchoulli smells like “dirty hippie”, then Dragon’s Blood smells like “high school metal head stoner Dude who’s, like, into the occult & shit” . I’ve tried other scents in the Ars Draconis line & wasn’t impressed.

 

Dragon’s Milk was Dude dating & corrupting the innocent teenage girl who just moved to town.

 

Dragon’s Claw was Dude & a spiritual minded hippie guy putting aside their differences & talking about their Led Zeppelin bootlegs.

 

But Dragon’s Musk? Musk = the beautiful, classy dominatrix who just moved in down the street. She hires the Dude to help her build her basement dungeon while seducing him into her world. She gives him boundaries and helps him move beyond the juvenile delinquent phase while his presence helps heighten her power.

 

Um, yeah I really like this scent……

Wow! All these different descriptions. If you ever want to prove a point about bpal & skin chemistry, this is the place to send people.....

 

In the bottle* & on me, this is straight up tamarind. Fresh and juicy, like opening up a pod and removing the pulp.

 

As it dries, Other Things come out and play, but I can't really describe them. The patchouli grounds the bright/juicy aspect while the fig sweetens it up some (less sour). The moss does what it always does on me - gives it a sweet furry undercoat. I don't get rosemary or cardamon or anything else.

 

Overall - slightly powdery tamarind. Not an everyday scent, but something I'll always want an imp of for those times when I need a sour fruit fix .

 

 

* this was purchased from a forumite. I have no idea how long it was aged.

Another Black Annis lover checking in!

 

This imp was purchased from a forumite "for the civet experience" (else how would I know?). I expected to open it up and go "Ewwwww! Yucky poo smell!" Lucky for me, that's not what happened at all.

 

Wet: I smell anise, something sweet (oak leaves & lichen) and something that makes me curl up my nose a bit. Civet - hello! It slowly fades, but if I stick my arm in my face, the back of my throat starts to itch.

 

Drydown: The civet backs off slowly (back away slowly! She's meaner than she looks! ) The anise smells like dried anise seeds that have been pulvarized & filtered through sweet green moss/lichen & leaves. (Anise is a familiar smell; I occasionally walk where anise plants grow & I chew their seeds once they've ripened. The anise in this is mature, not the green unripe seeds).

 

Dry: The civet is gone. Now its just anise and the green murky sweetness of cave lichen. This is a really pretty blend.

 

The first time I tried this, I had Absinthe on the other arm. While Absinthe was Bright Green Fennell (which is sweeter) with Herbs (and quite loud), Black Annis was subtle and a bit dark. More introverted. Just lovely.

 

Enough rambling for now.

The description of this scared me a bit (tobacco leaf? Red musk? herbs of conflict?), but I decided to face my fears so I purchased a bottle from a forumite.

 

Wet: Lemons. Not sweet, not sour, just ....lemons. And something else, but what?

 

Drydown: Same

 

Overall - Ruby red lemons, diced, on a bed of warm corn tortillas.

Voodoo

 

I had a handful of oils with me at work one day, and decided to try on Voodoo for the first time. When I smelled it in the imp earlier, it was sweet, warm, kind of bitey, so I figured it was ok for work. I dabbed some on.

 

And I GASPED.

 

OMG it smelled soooo goood! On my skin it said "I am Sex Goddess - kneel before me!!" Not exactly what I want to convey at work When the scent calmed down a bit, I hid in the corner and did my work. When I walked, I walked with a roll of the hips; when I glanced up from my desk, I shot 'come hither' looks at everyone. I just couldn't help it.

 

Oh yeah, the notes are like everyone says. I could smell the individual notes as well as the combo. And, yes. It Thrums.

Hello. I'm surlygurl and this is my very first review.

 

The SCENT, to me, was a lovely lemony red ginger with spices. I would love to wear it as a regular scent, but I don't need cataclysmic happenings in my life all the time......

 

Effectiveness: Long story short, I had 30 days to find a place to live. After 2-3 weeks of meditation, doing enery work, and making MANY, Many, many phone calls, nothing. So I purchased a bottle of Catalyst (which arrived quickly). I annointed a candle & myself with the oil, then meditated on what I would like. When the candle flickered out I sent the picture off to manifest.

 

The next day I saw an ad for a studio apartment, made a phone call and spoke to a real live human being! Woo-hoo! After work that day I went & looked at the place, and the following day they offered it to me.

 

 

So, um, yeah. I found it effective. I'd only use it for the big life altering stuff, though. And it would probably compliment other ritual oils quite well.