Seelix

I really wish this one worked on me, as in the imp it's a lovely fresh green citrus. But as soon as it touches my skin it morphs into an oil slick of oily, kind of lemony weirdness. I will be using this one as a room scent, but it isn't going anywhere near my wrists ever again.

This smells, both in the bottle and on, just like grass and danelions. My brother was out cutting the grass when I put it on, and I couldn't always tell whether the scent was coming in the window or from me. It's perfect. The only problem is that it doesn't last long at all. It disappears to nothing after about an hour.

So pretty The Oblation makes me want to wear babydoll dresses and combat boots and pretend like I'm back in high school (or possibly an episode of My So-Called Life). It has a very innocent feel, but there's something more underneath that keeps it from being straight scoolgirl perfume. In the bottle, this is primarily fruity lavendar. On, it stays much the same. The herbiness of the lavendar is rounded out beautifully by the currant, and the honey behaves itself, lending a sweet note to it. It doesn't last long on me, but it has such a lovely blend of delicate and robust that I don't mind reapplying.

This is one of the strongest oils I've tried, which is wonderful in this case! Just a drop and I'm surrounded by a boozy haze that makes me think of hours spent in the pub with my best girlfriend watching beautiful men play Irish music. With those mental associations, this was bound to be one of my favorites, but I was surprised that my mom loves it too. She says it reminds her of our favorite clothing shops (hippie-ish, of course. There's no way "Smut" would smell like an upscale boutique. )

I get a really strong broken stems/cut grass smell from Orpheus. I really need to get Garden Path with Chickens. It sounds heavenly.

Ephemera is almost too like its name on me. At first it's the loveliest herby floral. Then after about fifteen minutes it's just gone. This is one that would be worth slathering if it wouldn't take practically an entire imp to keep it on for a day.

My sister is being my valiant scent-test helper today, so this is a dual opinion: In the vial: Between us we were able to pick out all of the listed notes without looking at the description. It's amazingly true to the description. It's not chocolate covered cherries, but it's dark chocolate sitting next to a bowl of maraschino cherries, maybe with some edible flowers as well. On: She thinks it smells just like Cherry Cordial Hershey's Kisses. I think it smells very cherry vanilla, almost like a soda with cherry and vanilla syrups in it. Either way, it's absolutely delightful!

While I was testing Hades my sister came into my room. She asked what I was doing and I told her that I was trying to figure out whether I like this scent or not. She smelled it and immediately said "It smells like hippy." Now I can't get that image out of my mind. It's very much a lived in hippy smell. It's an incredibly masculine scent, and it would probably smell nice on the kind of environmental educator guys that I tend to be attracted to. Unfortunately, it's a little too masculine for me.

This is the perfect pick-me-up scent. The lemon and anise dance around each other perfectly. This is definitely a scent I'll be reaching for before particularly long days at work. The lemon in this is more of a true lemon scent than other lemons. It's a very warm and almost sour lemon that is nicely cut by the anise and something a little sweeter.

Lovely, dangerous, slick, and bitterly cold: chilly white sleet-like notes with a hint of vetiver, a breath of smoky asphalt, and winter wind. I actually didn't like this the first time I tested it, and washed it off after about 20 minutes. I must have had too much coffee (which makes me amp dark scents oddly) that day because I wore it yesterday and I have never smelled anything so perfect. It's a dry, slushy/icy smell. Little bit of vetiver, a little bit aquatic, and several other things that I just can't pinpoint. This is extremely long lasting. I put it on yesterday morning before a 15 hour work day, and I could spell it this morning when I woke up. It changes nicely throughout the day too. My favorite stage is about 4 hours after applying it. It morphs into this beautiful violet-ish ice. Not a sugared violet, but a violet frozen in a late frost with green all around it. I will be buying at least two bottles of this and hoarding it like crazy. I could see wearing this every day. Also, everyone around me loved it too. They couldn't seem to pinpoint it as perfume, but there were lots of "Something smells good! What is it?" ::sniff some more:: "Oh, that's you!"

From the imp and while wet, this is overwelmingly fig. I washed it off the first time I tried it. The smell of overripe fruit was just too much. However, tonight I persisted and let it dry and settle in. It's now a more currant scent with a very herbal background. It's an intriguing smell, and I like it a lot. I just wish it would last a little bit longer, as I don't particularly want to reapply it often. I'm not sure I'll wear it often, but it seems like it would be a good 'every now and then' scent. I just need to remember to apply it while I will be doing other things that will distract me from the initial wet scent.

In the Bottle Sharp. I'm not getting an air freshener smell, but there is something oddly familiar about it. It's sharp, but interesting. Wearing Initially it was still the same odd, sharp scent as in the bottle. Not particularly ozone or rain, just sharp. Then it turned to a sharpness that reminds me of cilantro (not one of my favorite scents at the best of times) with an underlying sourness that is making my head hurt. Time to wash it off. General Impression Not for me. Something about it reacts with my body chemistry to make a thorougly unpleasant smell. It might make a good room freshener if properly diluted, but I think I'll probably send this one on to someone who would appreciate it more.

In the Bottle A touch of incense. I can smell sandalwood right off the bat, with a touch of flower. I initially thought it was jasmine, but after rereading the description I realize that it's definitely iris. A very jasmine-y iris, but still iris. Intial Wearing Iris. Pure, fresh cut iris. After Drydown It's dusty in a very desert way. The iris notes are still the strongest and seem to have become sweeter, but the rest of the oils combine to make a dusty, warm smell. I'm not good at picking bottom notes apart, but I think it's the sandalwood giving me the dust feeling. It's a very sweet floral. Overall Impression This scent makes me think of bouquets of iris in a desert palace. It's a little bit light for me, but it has great staying power. It will be good for those days when my body is acting up and I can't stomach stronger fragances.