mspixieears

Good luck with Ulysses! It is totally worth the read!

I missed out on ordering this when it was still available, but have managed to purchase a bottle thank goodness! Can't wait for it to arrive!

Svadinopathika is a lovely Indian incense sandalwood type of sandalwood.

Definitely recommend Casanova. It's fantastic. I wish I had a bloke to test it on!

I managed to test a whole bunch of Salon fragrances while I was in hospital, but there are still a few I've not had the pleasure to try. So thought I'd get them out of the way. Cloister Graveyard in the Snow - this is the BPAL 'chill' or winter note to a tee. I don't get so much of the ozone or musks, just mint, really. Death of the Grave Digger - the BPAL chill note, dirt, then opoponax and myrrh. I like the opoponax and myrrh, and this is an artful blend but not something I'd wear as a personal fragrance. Silence - a clean floral scent. I've tested a few Salons & LEs that remind me of this already. It's quite a typical perfumey scent in a way. Three Brides - Moroccan rose is nice, and sweet. The sandalwood in this is earthier and deeper than the one in Silence, I quite like this fragrance. Suits my body chemistry a bit better because it's not so 'clean'. A warmer version of Silence, I think. The Fox Woman Kuzonoha Leaving Her Child - thought this would be nicer on me, but has little throw. I can smell mainly white tea and wisteria. Don't think I'll be keeping my imp.

Thu 2/1/09 imp testing. Well, mainly the first two imps, but the rest are ones I think the male persuasion could wear very easily. Dorian - bliss. I must have a bottle. Why is this so damn good! Wilde - what a lovely, refined olde-world blend. Not something I'd wear, but I do very much like it. Would love to try it on a lad. The Dormouse - this is very light on my skin. Takes a while for it to become truly fragrant and can smell green and lemon teas. Gets floral when it's dry. Definitely keeping my imp. Tezcatlipoca - cocoa, then patchouli, leather, incense and something floral. After that's all faded, left with something quite fecal in a pungent jasmine sort of way. Tweedledum - sweet at first with the fig then freshens up because of the green, unripe mango and green tea. Becomes musty on drydown with the patchouli. I prefer this upon initial application. Tweedledee - quite feminine, and strangely, almost foody. I love kumquats as I grew up drinking a drink based on them, and white tea, white pepper and orange blossom are all so subtle! A refreshing scent. Bloodlust - dragon's blood loves me a lot more since I changed meds. This smells amazing, musky and floral, oddly enough. Lust - dark, manly. Strong and a lot less sweeter than Bloodlust.

I'd say Pumpkin II & IV, and also Pumpkin Patch #4 if you can find it. Good luck!

And the first imp tested for the new year is... Brisingamen - lovely, dreamy ambers and a hint of floral. Something doesn't sit quite right on my skin, sadly. This is odd, given that usually ambers love me. Casanova - dismissed it at first because the lavender was too strong, but I actually really like it now that it's warmed up on me a little.

I just realised that I got an extra bottle of Snow White because the decanter I bought Yule decants from sent me it instead of Snow Bunny! So, I had an excuse for another order... Water of Notre Dame Dove's Heart Bezoar Snow Bunny Beaverversary Earth Phoenix Yep, all 5mLs. I need more 5mLs like I need a shot in the head...sheesh *grin*.

Flower Moon - just got enough to test this, and wow, it's gorgeous. Quite girlie. I think I love tulips and daffodils (actually, have always loved daffodils from an early age - reminds me of my childhood in England). Would definitely try to get a bottle. Cordelia - these Asiatic blends tend to suit me - except the lemon! Drat. I love all of the notes, but that seems to be a tad too strong on me. I'll retest one day in the hope that it's died down a bit. Miskatonic University - Irish coffee incarnate. I don't like it...yeah, I know, not a popular view, but I don't tend to like foody, sweet scents generally speaking. Can't believe how true this is though.

Last night was horrible. I felt horribly unhappy and unloved, and invisible. Given that I have a mood disorder, trying to talk myself out of it was not working. Originally I was going to send a friend of mine who feels that his life wasn't going so well two imps - that of Dove's Heart and High John the Conqueror but lately he seems to have forgotten about me. So I used them on myself: after all, I am (still) heartbroken and though it's getting easier with time, there are those days where it just hurts like almighty feck. Before finally settling to sleep, I slathered both of those oils on me, and this following morning, I feel so much better. My mind feels clearer, my thoughts are more calm and positive. I feel like I feel when I'm well. So yeah, those are on my wishlist, haha. Especially Dove's Heart, which I can still smell. Edit: Water of Notre Dame is even better than High John the Conqueror on me.

Desperately need those two bottles, but I just got a big Lab order, so will wait till my birthday to make another big one! Even though am running out of space for bottles...

Up on the chopping block: Faith - I was wrong to think I could even get rid of this. My bottle is only a third full, and I'm contemplating getting another. Beaver Moon 2007 - like Eat Me but with red fruits, plummier. Don't think I can part with this either. Vampire Tears - I like the jasmine and the pink grapefruit, but am torn about this. It's a maybe. Kanishta -after trying these, best try all the Indian-scented in one and compare them accordingly. Keep: Faith, Beaver Moon 2007 Retest: Kanishta, compared to her own 'Indian-similar' fragrances in my collection Retest: Vampire Tears

Aww hon, you're busy! It's okay to be busy! I've had a lot of time off. I'll be a bit sad when I finish Faith - might need to get another bottle I think!

Schwarzer Mond - the resurrected one. Wow. This is punchy! Dark, and sexy too. Am so glad I got this in 5mL form! It just gets better and better on my skin, and smells magnificent from afar (ie. when my nose is not glued to my wrist!) The Gaoler's Daughter - wet, peach! As it dries down, the gardenia becomes more prominent. Such a girlie, flirty scent, am surprised there aren't more reviews for it. It's a very innocent yet cheeky blend. Not sure if it worth a bottle. Pickled Imp - Very strong of cloves, then cinnamon and pine come out. Doesn't seem so vanilla-ish, but will let it age a bit or stand and this should improve it. I initially got this confused with Bezoar, which I may actually prefer. Belle Epoque - fresh bottle, needs ageing, as imp had much more vanilla. It'll be a bedtime scent for me. It is gorgeous, and subtle and timeless. That's it for now, or I risk sensory overload!

It's the Yules! Am writing more detailed notes in my imp journal, but here are some of my thoughts in summary about the Yules. I got a set of decants of all of them. Le Pere Fouettard - I had to look up what 'gaufrette' was - a thin, fan shaped waffle wafer. Nice, not too foody at first, then whip leather makes an appearance, and gradually takes over the foodiness. When leather is at its strongest, the liquorice becomes known to my nose. An artful blend, but not something I would wear. There's A Certain Slant of Light - ozonic, barely there. Very little staying power on my skin, which is fine really, am not too fond of these sorts of blends, as they tend to smell very male-colognesque on me. It smells minty in the vial. Visiting the Temple of Auspicious Fortune Alone On the Winter Solstice - definitely get the rain at first! Wow! Then it gets musty, rather than dusty, and has an Eastern/Oriental feel. Much later it starts to get incense-ish. Again, not one I'd wear, or scent my environs with. Lines Written Among the Euganean Hills - a more complex version of The Snow Maiden - sleety, chilly and berryish, but then it gets rather minty to my nose. The Magi - I don't think I appreciate the complexity of this blend. I get the frankincense but it's too hard to tell what the other things are. Perchta - has the characteristic BPAL chilly note, which is lovely. A hint of something spicy, then all the florals come out. Am keeping my imp. The Head of Holofernes - wine and pomegranate are evident at first. This is actually quite lovely, and will be keeping my imp. Don't so much detect other notes, and had to look up what onycha was! Butter Rum Cookie - just as the name says! Has almond, which is behaving on me (BPAL almond does not like me so much) but does get a little cloying after a while. It is yummy, though. Gelt - wow, smells exactly like the coins. I love cocoa, and am surprised that the amber is quite muted in this blend. Will end up retesting. Midnight Mass 2008 - am surprised it doesn't have more throw, but is really true to its name: smells exactly like mass incense. Be a nice blend to wear at nighttime. I actually got a bottle of this straight-off rather than just a decant. Snow White 2008 - got 2 bottles by accident! No matter, it means I don't have to use sparingly, and will be my actual fragrance on Christmas Day. Bottle-worthy: The Head of Holofernes, Midnight Mass 2008 (got bottle), Snow White 2008 (got 2 bottles). Keeping imps: Perchta, Butter Rum Cookie, Gelt.

Black Cat - smells wonderful. Spicy, rosy sort of scent. Am very much hoping it will do what it says it can do! Perhaps I didn't put on enough. The Lion - oh wow, I like amber, but this is just heavenly. Sunny, spicy and slightly sweet.

Nanshe - smells like lemon balm at first, then becomes a lemon scent that sort of gives me a bit of a headache. However, I do know that this is supposed to do something, so wore it nevertheless overnight. Oddly, I didn't recall my dreams though slept a bit better than usual, so don't know if it helps with the interpretation of dreams. I suspect that this is something you have to use over an extended period of time?

The younger Jezebel is very strong on orange blossom, but as it gets older it gets more powdery. When I first tried Catherine, the orange blossom wasn't so strong but I tried another imp (newer one?) and it was definitely strong on it. Interesting.

My favourite grown-up, elegant, sophisticated scent is Bon Vivant. It smells very similar to YSL Yvresse (used to be called Champagne).

PoM is opium by death - heavenly!

The Lab gave me squillions of imps and so I've started testing them. Les Bijoux - bah, hates me. Reason? Rose. I can smell a lot of the other notes, but not the ones I love. Yeah, red apple doesn't much like me either. Sigh. Intrigue - ooh, this is sexy, in a very understated way. A little too dry for me, though the fig does sweeten it up ever so slightly. I don't detect the cocoa which was a bit disappointing. I won't keep it but would love to see what it smells like the on menfolk. Sin - a much less intense version of Smut I feel! But no throw on me, odd given that Smut has amazing throw on me. Wanted to keep my decant, but it dried to nothing on me and became crayonish. Shame. Amsterdam - I don't know what tulips smell like, but this is lovely, it's a very fresh floral, sort of green yet watery too. Sri Lanka - first is fresh sandalwood, then incense-like sandalwood mixed with cedar. The cedar is nice too, but this has such a gorgeous sandalwood. It stops smelling so sandalwood-laden, however.

I sent them an e-mail about an incorrect bottle received and haven't heard back from them - it's been a couple of days. How long does it take them to respond usually?

This was something of a cheer-up/Christmas present to myself. The most bottles I've ever ordered! Snow White 2008 (because I forgot that I actually already ordered one, duh!) Belle Epoque Zorya Thalia Snake Charmer Resurrected Candy Phoenix Pickled Imp Tabella - though this was a mistake of the Lab's - I actually ordered Tabula Smargadina. Have e-mailed them though Frimps: Sri Lanka, Scherezade, Les Bijoux, Pontarlier, Sudha Segara, Nanshe, Siren, Kurukulla, The Hesperides, Dove's Heart, Independent*, Amsterdam, Sin, Jezebel, Intrigue, Catherine. Am chuffed with the frimpage. Have tried many of these but wow, Lab is generous!

I retested a few 5mL bottles I had to try and figure out whether or not I should find them new homes. These were: Tiresias, The Androgyne - a lot of people are saying they want to stock up on this. I bought a secondhand bottle, only half-full to try and its throw on me is amazing and it's quite unique, but not something I'm enamoured with. I do have a home for it though...have a girlfriend who was rather partial to it. Will give to her! The Perfumed Garden 2006 - I love the jasmine in this, but not super-keen on the rest. Am genuinely torn, no idea if I should get rid of it or what. Libra 2007 - bah, rose! This didn't like me at the beginning, and still doesn't. The Emathides - oh my, this has developed into a beautiful, herbal blackcurrant scent. The fruitiness is very subtle, however. The throw is not as strong as I'd like but I can't bear to get rid of it. Stay: The Emathides. Go: Libra 2007, Tiresias. Undecided: The Perfumed Garden 2006.