steelgossamer

I'm trying out Neutral + Elf + Rogue today and it's a morpher.

Now that they've all dried down, I have one wrist that smells more Elfy and one that smells more Roguey. The musky underlayer is there, along with some warm berries and leather. I'm really digging Rogue with pretty much everything. This one is pretty nice, but I think Halfling will blend better with these two than Elf did. Ah well, there's always tomorrow .

In the imp: WOOD. Lots of wood here.

Wet: Yup, more wood. This is a dry, warm, slightly peppery wood to me. It's very brown and a bit soft.

Drydown: It gets more complex and soft as it dries.

Dry: There's a slight sweetness coming through. It's woodsy, dry, peppery, a little smoky, and sweet.

I really like this one. It reminds me a bit of Dee or Voodoo, and those are two of my all time favorites. This is less leathery than Dee and less MANLY!/spicy than Voodoo, which makes it different enough to hang onto.

In the decant: Sweet frankincense, clean.

Wet: This smells clean and a touch incensey and sweet. But mostly CLEAN. Like, freshly scrubbed with a bar of zesty soap clean. Which I find a little strange.

Drydown: There's the musk! The musk comes through and really warms up the scent. I can also pick up just a tiny bit of vanilla as it dries, along with a touch of leather.

Dry: Once dry, it's still a very clean scent with a little bit of leather, a bit of vanilla, and a lot of musk. I like it a lot, though. I think it'll layer nicely with Half-Elf and Neutral.

In the decant: LEATHER and something a bit woodsy

Wet: LEATHER

Drydown: the hemp and rosin start to peek through the strong leather scent

Dry: This is a really strong leather scent on me. It's dry, masculine, and a touch woodsy. I think it's going to layer marvelously. Sniffing it next to Halfling is already quite nice. I look forward to trying it with Elf.

ETA: After about 10 minutes dry, this one smells AMAZING. Like, I want to have sex with my arm amazing.

In the decant: Sweet, foodie, delicious

Wet: Oatmeal cookies and spices! I want to eat my wrist.

Drydown: There is a slightly plasticky element that comes through for me, which is not unusual for foodie blends like this one.

Dry: There's a whiff of fruit with the oatmeal scent, and the plasticky note has almost disappeared. It sticks close to the skin, but I imagine it will smell delicious with Good . I think I'm happy that I only have an imp, though.

In the decant: Sweet, foodie, and a bit musky.

Wet: OMG NOM! Sweet berries, pine, and something a little warm and tart.

Drydown: Berries berries berries! Warm, slightly sweet, slightly tart berries with just a touch of pine.

Dry: The pine gets very subtle and this goes sweet fruity floral with a little warmth.

I look forward to testing this one with Rogue and Paladin . I also wish that I had gotten a half bottle since it works so nicely with my skin chemistry. It's the only really heavily berry scent that hasn't disappeared in a matter of seconds.

In the Bottle: Green, mossy, sandalwood, musk, and leafy stuff. This smells like the forest with a bit of masculine muskiness to it.

Wet: It's a touch sharp, but with a sexy herbal/woodsy kick. It hits the back of my throat like mint does, but without being mentholated smelling at all.

Drydown: Something really strange comes out in the drydown. I can't put my finger on it or adequately describe it. It just smells weird for a bit.

Dry: It has almost disappeared now that it's dry. The herbal kick is mostly gone, replaced by something vaguely musky and a little woodsy with a bit of something soapy underneath. It's a little bit aftershavey.

I have no idea how I feel about this one. I'll try it layered with other scents to see how it goes, but so far it's just a strange little scent that defies description.

In the Bottle: Sweet, floral, and slightly medicinal to me.

Wet: Light, sweet, and just a little floral. It's a touch soapy as well, but not in a bad way.

Drydown: The honey starts to come through more, but that floral keeps ticking away. The vanilla shows up after a few minutes and softens the floral.

Dry: Sweet, honeyed floral that reminds me of Mouse's Long and Sad Tale or Prague but with a bit less of a fruity sweetness and more of a warm sweetness.

Again, this seems really nice for layering and I look forward to trying it out with Halfling.

In the bottle: Clean, fresh, a touch sweet.

Wet: Exactly the same as in the bottle.

Drydown: it quickly gets a bit powdery, but also a little bit warm and spicy. It's soft and barely there, but it's there alright.

Dry: Clean, fresh, powdery, and light. It's a bit warm, and definitely suited to layering. I can tell that this is the same musk as in Beanman and Beanwoman Prepare to Attack the Vagina, which is a good thing . I could see myself wearing this alone for days when I want a little something on, but nothing that screams PERFUME at passerby.

Well, this was not what I expected at all from the description! 2010 version.

In the decant: cool snow, something a bit sweet, something floral, definitely wintery.

Wet: SOAP. I get clean, soapy, and slightly sweet. Not very floral at all.

Drydown: There are two phases to the drydown for me. It gets plasticky at first, stays soapy, and gets a bit sweeter. Then, as it continues to dry down, the plastic goes away and the soapiness fades into a powdery scent.

Dry: After a couple of hours, this smelled clean, musky, and creamy. If I had to venture a guess, I'd say I'm picking up vanilla, white musk, something clean-smelling, coconut milk, and maybe a bit of honey? It's a very creamy sweetness and not at all sharp, sugary, or buttery for me. Just clean, musky, warm, and creamy.

It reminds me a bit of White Musk by The Body Shop after several hours or Lilith vs. The Giant Crab after several hours of wear. Maybe a little like Beanman and Beanwoman Prepare to Attack the Vagina as well, I feel like it shares the coconut milk note with that one.

I have the 2010 version.

Bottle: Gingerbread! Spices and sweetness ahoy!

Wet: Spices and a touch of something sweet

Drydown: This really just smells super spicy and gingery and delicious. It's a bit drier on me than on other people it seems, though.

Dry: Straight up gingerbread, warm from the oven. No one note stands out in particular, this is just pure gingerbready goodness.

Love love love this. So glad I bought a half bottle .

Another really interesting one from my Yules pack!

In the decant: It's a bit spicy and a little reminiscent of trees and reminds me a bit of Tintagel.

Wet: Yep, a little like my beloved Tintagel! I get pinecone, spices, and something a little sweet.

Drydown: The pinecone gets stronger, and something a little tart (maybe the cranberry) comes through a little. Mostly pinecone at this point, though. After a few minutes, this is ALL pinecone. It's like sticking a sprig of tree in my nose.

Dry: After what felt like forever, the pinecone note starts to die down a bit and the spices come through again with some of the honey, the winter air note, and maybe just a little berry.

This one is warm, very piney, with just a touch of spicy berry. The honey and amber don't come through very well on me, but the winter air definitely does. It smells a bit like a Christmas wreath to me. It doesn't have much throw, but I think it will stick around pretty well. This is another one that I'll have to keep sniffing to make a decision on.

This is a really interesting blend

In the decant: fruity, citrusy, and a little sweet

Wet: Starts out very orange and fruity but gets very woodsy with a touch of lemon and sage almost immediately

Drydown: The fruit starts to come out and play a bit- red currant, lemon, and mandarin are detectable. The woodsiness calms down some too. No vanilla yet.

Dry: It's light, sweet in a fruity way (but not really juicy), with hints of wood and something more herbal. I can really smell the lemon, pomegranate, and rosewood in this one.

The vanilla doesn't really stand out for me, but rather seems to blend into the background and make this a bit warmer and sweeter than it would otherwise be. The woods and sage start out very strong, but fade into the background over time, leaving this to become a rich, deep fruit scent. I think I like it, but I'll have to keep sniffing throughout the evening to be sure. Very different from other scents I have.

ETA: After several more minutes, the vanilla did finally show itself, warming the overall scent and making it a bit sweeter and creamier. I like this a lot more with the vanilla peeking through. I think it's a keeper .

In the imp: creamy vanilla sugar

Wet: sweet, creamy, sugary

Drydown: peeks of clean cotton coming through

Dry: Pure sugar. Not even a little plasticky- just creamy, sweet, and surprisingly delicious.

I wasn't sure about Boo. I skipped it on the last go-round because it didn't sound like it would work out. Then I heard everyone raving about it and figured I'd snag a decant this time. I'm glad I did. I can't stop huffing my wrist .

Wet: Cherry lollipops and almond extract

Drydown: coconut and saffron come in and soften this up

Dry: barely there sweetness

It's like my skin just eats the scent . I got from POW cherry candy and almond to a nice blend on the drydown, then a slight toasted coconut and sweet stuff smell, to... almost nothing. It's really nice before it disappears, so I'll give it another go before giving up.

Wet: Pear! And Tuberose! Very floral with a touch of sweet fruit

Drydown: More floral coming through — plumeria and rose

Dry: light, sweet floral with my favorite notes. Nicely blended.

This one hung around for a while, and it maintained it's light floral sweetness throughout.

This one went on sharp and musky, then toned down to a more spicy and warm blend. After drydown, this one was a slightly smoked spice chest. Exactly how I would imagine a big spice chest would smell being burned. Not sure about this one yet.

Wet: Warm, golden, sexy vanilla

Drydown: Something a bit aquatic and sharp comes through, still very golden vanilla

Dry: The ambergris peeks through with some light floral notes.

Overall, this one ends up a sexy, slightly floral, warm vanilla on me and I love it. It has just a touch of aquatic interest without going metallic or bathroom air freshener, too. Keeper.

ETA: Also has fantastic throw and staying power. I really like this one.

Buttery, spicy cookies with a hint of maple. OMNOMNOM! This is absolutely delicious!

In the imp: I get honey and musk with something creamy

Wet: Creamy sweet musk. It's perfumey without being INYOURFACEPOW!

Drydown: Honey and something with a little... zing? Comes through. Like, almost zesty smelling something.

Dry: Creamy, honeyed, and fruity. I get a bit of powdery musk, but it's mostly a sweet and creamy fruit honey scent.

I like this. It's the kind of scent that I don't think much of at first, but I keep going back to my arm to sniff it. It's sexy in a really understated way.

In the decant: Pumpkin!

Wet: Spiced pumpkin- warm, not very sweet

Drydown: Still solidly pumpkin- no floss and no blackberry

Dry: A tiny hint of blackberry trickles through here and there, but this is mainly spicy pumpkin. I do not mind, though, because it's tasty smelling.

Overall: Will definitely hold onto this one. OMNOMNOM pumpkin! Maybe I'll layer it with my not-so-Pumpkin Latte .

I have the 2010 version

In the bottle: Apples and a tiny touch of spice.

Wet: Sweet apples with something a bit tart.

Drydown: a bit of cinnamon and something a little creamy comes through with the apples

Dry: It smells a bit like an Autumn themed candle, but I like it. It's warm, appley, a little creamy, and not too sweet.

Right from the post!

In the bottle: coffee, a bit of spice, and a touch of pumpkin

Wet: COFFEE, sweet spices, a touch of vanilla, but no pumpkin yet

Drydown: As it dries, the spices really come through

Dry: I get spices, a tiny hint of vanilla, and coffee. The pumpkin doesn't come through at all. It is, however, still warm and delicious.

Definite keeper

ETA: The pumpkin came through after a little while. This one has staying power! It lasted through a workout and a shower.

I LOVE this one. I got this fresh from the lab a year ago and never got around to reviewing it. This is one well-blended scent. Wet, I get a lush, warm floral with amber and rose coming to the front. As it dries down, the vanilla comes through with some musk and herbal notes. Once fully dry, this is a slightly sweet, warm, musky floral with an amber tone to it. It's absolutely gorgeous. I reach for this one on a regular basis.

In the bottle: Warm foodie vanilla and spices!

Wet: Warm vanilla with tonka and cardamom. Very warm, a little sweet, very foodie.

Drydown: Something citrusy showed up for a bit, and the sugar note definitely kicked in to make this a drier scent.

Dry: The tonka faded away, as did most of the vanilla, making it a really light sweet scent. Then, after an hour, it was nearly gone. Another hour passed, and it's gotten warmer- like the musk and tonka have come back, but is still quite sweet.

I am unsure about this one. I will hang onto it and see what happens after a bit of aging. I have a half bottle, so I figure if it's not for me, it won't be hard to pass on.

ETA: I tried this one again, and it's a swap. It ended up being straight up sugar and then faded to nothing after an hour. Sadness