Falathwen

This was a gift imp from the lab. As others have said, it is a creamy, warm and very bright floral blend. Unfortunately, my skin amplified it until it became overwhelmingly strong. I do not understand why "white floral" blends feel so oppressively strong on me when I like them quite well on a flower or even as a single note. Drydown was gentler, but soapy on me.

The grapefruit and musk appear simultaneously at first. The mix of the rather feral dark note and the grapefruit (which for some reason is an inherently fun scent to me) seems very appropriate to the character. The other notes come forward as this dries, but they blend too closely for me to pick them out individually even though they are familiar. I guess that confusion is also appropriate! Still, I want to try this again (probably more than a few times) to see if I can figure it out. The dry down is rather powdery and floral, but the musk reappears as the final note.

This was a gift imp from the lab. I actually like humidity and spent a little time in the Louisiana, so I was very curious about this one. When wet, this was intensely floral (possibly including gardenia) with a hint of aquatic notes and mossy greeness. The moss in this was especially lovely and lasted throughout the drydown. Overall, this blend was very strong, complex, and heavy on me. I did not pick up any of the woods notes which I think would given me the hint of brown I was craving in a swamp blend. As good fortune would have it, I tried this on for the first time in the company of a friend. She loved the concept of Bayou and enjoyed the scent as well because she loves mossy notes, so I gave it to her.

This was a gift imp from the lab. I held off trying it for a while because the story of Bluebeard was the very first scary story I ever heard and still holds a very primal shiver if I think about it too much. Still, I finally decided to go with the theory "a rose by any other name..." and gave this a try. It was definitely worth it. When wet, the lavender jumped out first, strong and deepened by the other notes in the backround. The other notes came forward as it dried and this blend became very well-balanced between light and dark notes. Violet is becoming a favorite of mine. It softened the lavender beautifully while the vetiver added a resiny tang and the musk warmed the whole blend. It reminded me a bit of "Old Spice" at this stage and thus seemed quite masculine, but I think I would wear it anyway. As was the case for a few others, there was no negative feeling to this blend on me at all. It was actually rather soft and clean. In the end, it dried down to a faint but lasting vetiver, which is very woodsy and comforting on my skin.

This was a gift imp from the lab, and a very useful one. For a while now I have been suspecting that I may be allergic to Dragon’s Blood. Thus, I was wary but curious to test it out on its own. First, I noticed that while I do not get a burning reaction (huzzah) it does seem to trigger my asthma, but not strongly, so I was able to continue the test. On my skin, Dragon’s Blood is very much like jasmine, but even stronger and sweeter. It is almost fruity. Just like jasmine, I find that I do like it very much as a single note even though it tends to overpower the other notes in a blend on my skin.

When I first applied this blend I was very amused because, initially, it smells like a peppered slice of watermelon. As it dries a bit, it is clearly a very fresh and peppery carnation and a rather gentle lily. There is a softness to this and a sweetness it the back round that I assume is the effect of sweet pea. Overall this is lovely and surprisingly kicky. As it dries down, the scent changes slightly and I start to love it even more. The carnation grows more mellow and full, blending perfectly with the lily. It lasts a long while on me.

As others have said, when first applied, there is a bright splash of lemon/lime and mint. As it dries a bit the coconut comes out more and more. This blend smells so very crisp and sweet! In fact it reminds me very much of my favorite key-lime cookies. It remains fairly consistent as it dries. The very last note is a soft, sweet coconut. I think this will be wonderful in the summer.

I have heard of the bone church but do not know much about it. Nonetheless, I could not resist a scent compared to Cathedral, which is a top favorite of mine, and named after a church of Prague. On me, rosewood and a brief hint of frankincense appear and are quickly sweetened and softened by the lily. I can sense the geranium rose as the background note. There is a very tender feeling to this scent for me…both strong and gentle. As it dries down, the floral notes grow more and more prominent until I realize that this stage is very similar to Hymn. The final note is rather soapy on me but not unpleasant.

I tried this blend on both my husband and myself. On my husband this was dark, green, and slightly rank like fresh medicinal herbs crushed in a wooden pestle. After a short while it faded on him without changing much. On me it started out more or less the same, though stronger. It is a strange scent, both repellent and fascinating. It reminded me of a passage in a book I loved by Madeleine L’Engle when a boy seer is made aware of the presence of evil by a smell like crushed stems of dandylions. After a while, a rose scent becomes more prominent, like a bloom in the briers. I was not expecting that, but it was intriguing.

This was a gift from the lab. When I was first applying this blend it smelled just like Marachino cherries, as someone mentioned above. Then I started to detect almond and a smoky, rather bitter note which I am assuming was dark musk. As it dried the musk mellowed and the other notes blended more and more. A rose note became more prominent…combined with the other notes it seemed like a blood red rose. Very rich. Unlike other rose blends, this went neither sour or powdery on me. This scent was intense, but stayed close to my skin and lasted a long time. I was not kissing mirrors, but it did make me feel beautiful.

This was a gift imp from the Lab. (Thank you.) This was indeed both sweet and light. Unfortunately, it was also slightly "plasticy" on me when wet. I am not sure which note(s) causes that to happen. This scent was complex and not easily described. As it dried, the plastic disappeared and a bit of orange came through the floral. I think I can distinguish lotus after enjoying it some much in Undertow. I like it here as well, though it is not prominent on my skin. As it dried, the scent of jasmine came forward and remained most prominent to the end.

This scent was a gift imp from the lab and a great "pick me up" after staying up too late talking. When first applied, it was a rush of head-clearing mint and eucalyptus with a floral background. It took a minute or two for the florals to distinguish themselves, but once they did I noticed that violet and neroli were quite lovely together. Strangely, at this stage I felt like I was wearing two blends, with the mint/eucalyptus and neroli/violet seeming quite independent of each other. The closest analogy I can make was that it was like washing up with fine soap and cool water…very refreshing. I use eucalyptus regularly for medicinal purposes, so it was strange to experience it as a perfume. As the blend dried down, the violet became the prominent note on my skin. It was light and powdery at this stage. This blend lasted at least a couple of hours.

I was compelled to try this blend because this story in all its incarnations (poem, paintings, song, etc.) has always enchanted me. I was dubious though, because gardenia is amplified by my skin chemistry. When wet, this fits the image so well. I do get a sense of very beautiful and very cold flowing waters. It is sharp, but also wistful and lovely. The notes blend seamlessly, though I can sense each of them. The ginger in particular is absolutely perfect. Unfortunately, as it dries down the other notes fade and gardenia takes over completely.

This came as a gift from the lab. I have avoided the voodoo blends, since it is not my path, but the notes others perceived in this intrigued me. On me, it was very sweet at first. My husband said it strongly reminded him of cherry cola, and for the record it did not seem to effect him at all. Dragon’s blood is the first note that pops out, followed by what I think was vanilla and jasmine. This stage was rather like Siren on my skin. Cinnamon started to spice this up just as I noticed a burning and redness which became more intense by the moment. I washed, and washed, and washed again with all sorts of things but while I stopped the allergic reaction I could -still-smell Love Me quite well. Very powerful stuff!

This was a gift from the lab. On impulse I tried it on my husband. Not only was it fabulous with is skin chemistry, it actually lasted for over an hour. (Usually his skin eats scents.) On him it was a smooth and deep , with the slight bitterness of a very dark chocolate. This was the first cocoa blend that really smelled like chocolate to him. It was sweetened as the fig came out, juicy but subtle. Neither of us could detect the other notes and it remained consistent as it dried down. On me, as usual, the wood notes were amplified. I do not know what palm smells like, other than Easter palms, but these notes were rather sharp and dry. The cocoa and fig gradually moved forward. On me this blend was not foody. It was tropical but not at all languorous. In fact, though you may laugh, it brought to mind watching Magnum PI as a child…dark doings, offices with large desks and slowly spinning fans, light colored suits and lush scenery. Very appropriate to the concept, but I liked it even better on my husband. As it dried down on me, the cocoa became more prominent. A great blend which I never would have tried. Kudos to Beth and her crew.

This blend was a gift from the lab and I am grateful. I have been exploring the water scents. When wet, the mint and juniper come forward first. The lotus come out beneath them, close to the skin. Rather than deep and dangerous waters, for me it is the scent of a small early spring bloom that you have to crouch close to smell. It is blooming in the melting snow of an evergreen grove. The scent is cold and bright, with a gentle heart. It perfectly evokes the end of winter for me and cheered me when I was in a rather awful mood. It has very little throw, but lasted for hours. As it dried down the lotus was more prominent, with the mint and juniper lingering in the background.

This was a gift from the lab. I am glad I looked up the discussion of the name after my husband and I tried this because it would have been hard to keep the idea of a serial murderer from influencing my impression of the scent. On my husband, the lime and lilac came out first. It was a very fresh and summery blend. Both of us were amazed that those two notes blended so well. Unfortunately, his skin tends to eat scents and this was no exception. On me this was a great big lime lollipop. It was mouthwatering and sharp. Fortunately, I am fond of lime lollipops. As this dried down the lilac stepped forward and gradually the lime disappeared. The lilac lasted for hours. Again, I am fond of lilac as a single note, but I wish the lime had remained and blended as well on my skin as it did on my husband’s skin.

My experience with Sea of Glass was like Hypothermya’s , almost to the letter, though it did not trigger my allergies. The floral in this reminds me quite a bit of the Russian olives that grew on the island where I grew up. When they bloomed you could even smell them as you came across the water on the ferry on a calm day when, as they say, " the sea is like glass." This lingered longer on my clothing than on my skin. The last note was pure soft lily -of-the-valley.

This is very powerful! It is both sharp and bright which fits the concept, but does not exactly fit me. This is in the style of a contemporary perfume you might find a sample of in a magazine. My first impression was actually floral, with a tang of salt, and something sharp which I am guessing is the ozone. It grew softer and ever more floral as it dried but I could not name the flowers. I must continue my quest for the scent of the Atlantic.

I chose this for my husband (and also tried it myself.) He was amused because St. Germaine appears in a role playing book he has been reading through at the moment! On my husband this blend was very well balanced when wet. It did indeed have the freshness and bite of a traditional men’s cologne. The lavender and carnation were the strongest notes on him, while the mosses and amber were a greeness and sweetness in the background. Like most of the scents he has tried, this faded fast on his skin. That fast fade seems to be a peculiarity I do not share because St. Germaine lasted fairly well on me, at least a couple of hours. In fact, I had a -completely- different experience with this blend. On me, when wet, the mosses were dominant. In fact, my first impression was that this was the fragrance of a yew bush, very deep and evergreen. Then the carnation and lavender come through the greenery by turns, first the sweet spiciness a bit stronger and then the clean sharpness. It was a very brisk scent when wet but softened as it dried, possibly due to the amber, though that never took over as it has a tendency to do on my skin. This dried down to a soft green scent, rather like Old Dublin, which seems too strange to be true.

I was glad to find this thread because finding the perfect sea scent has been a quest of mine as well. Even though I very much liked Tears and Sea of Glass they are almost too "clean" if that makes sense. When I think of the ocean it is the Atlantic. I think what I am missing is the iodine tang of seaweed, which is common along the shores I wandered. I am probably the only person who would go looking for the scent of seaweed. I am about to try Lightening and Undertow, so the quest continues. Please post if anyone has further suggestions.

Milk and carnation are my two favorite notes, so I had to give this blend a try. When wet, the bergamot and rose are the strongest notes on me but the blend is quite light all together. The rose is softened and almost creamy, which I am guessing is the effect of the milk. The bergamot makes this clean and almost sharp at first. Carnation and honey are in the background. It feels very pink to me and I agree that it suits Alice’s character perfectly. I wore it as a bedtime scent and fell asleep before I could smell what it was like as it dried down.. When I wore it again I found that the scent actually fades rather quickly on me. The lingering hints of it were the soft creamy rose, pleasant but almost too much like a hand cream I used long ago. This would probably work well in a lotion.

I smelled the cocoa alone for a minute after applying, then it wed inseparably with the myrrh. This blend is quite warm and exotic. It is not a foody scent at all, which was surprising. It really does feel embracing. The sandalwood emerges more clearly as this dries down. All together, these notes evoke a shadowy room lit only by firelight which gleams off of wood, rich fabrics, and skin. It is seductive. It lasted a few hours and faded slowly to a close-to-the-skin vanilla scent.

I was hoping this cinnamon blend would not make my skin burn - it did not. For the first minute or so after applying Chimera, the delicious cinnamon cookie scent pops out. Almost too quickly, the incense notes blend in along with a sweet floral in the background which I would not have guessed to be honeysuckle without reading the notes. It takes a little while to figure out how I feel about this blend, but I keep smelling my wrists and feeling warm and content. This scent is smoulderingly sweet rather than fiery…it is making me hungry for spice cake or cookies yet manages to be rather sexual as well. It grows sweeter and sweeter as it fades and I could have sworn I detected amber, but Hypothermia’s post above about Copal solved that mystery. The end note is like O, but spicier. It last several hours.

Perfect! This was a chocolate bar with almonds at first, which I actually liked, but when that faded it was chocolate cake in a bottle…very warm and nearly edible. I am so excited to make a candle with this oil, but it will be fun to wear too.