darkitysnark

A gimp from the generous, and crafty, SevenSins!

 

This is like a Hellfire cake with Herr Drosselmeyer cream cheese frosting on top!

 

There's that same strange fight/flight reaction I get with leather (like the bad boy you can't help but lust after, even though he's clearly Up to No Good), and a very foodie almond/cherry/vanilla tobacco thing going on.

 

I slathered a little too heavily and this is quite overwhelming! A little goes a l-o-n-g way with this, I'm wafting and throwing my cake all over the place.

 

Definitely a "when I'm in the mood" type scent that must be used sparingly. Woo.

A generous gimp from SevenSins!

 

Love the resins, love the incense. This is the pious older brother to Danse Macabre for me. More ethereal, cooler somehow, but they both have the same hours-later effect.

 

Wonderful.

Huh.

 

I got the pine in the bottle, but it was POOF! gone the minute it hit my wrists. Mostly I got powdery, somewhat aggressive sweet girliness. Course, me + berries is never a good match, so that might explain the meh-ness.

Clio

 

A marvelous gimp from the gifted SevenSins!

 

Wow. I'm not getting any citrus out of this. Interesting.

 

In fact, I've pretty much amped the patchouli with a small showing of woods and parchment in the background. And the surprising thing is... I like it. Me? The anti-patchouli girl? Liking patchouli?! Zounds!

 

Wet and during drydown I got a more herbal quality, probably from the lavender, even though it didn't come off as straight lavender (it was less floral, more green and astringent). Sort of a cologney herbalist sort of a smell.

 

But since then? This lovely soft patchouli touched with deeper, rounder things.

 

I have been very calm, alert, and present today, which is completely the opposite of what I was yesterday. Can this be attributed to Clio?

Teh Smut!

 

Lovely, just... lovely. I was able to try from tempete's vial and lemme tell ya. This is beyootiful.

 

This started out in the red musk, sharply boozy side of things and quickly warmed and blossomed open into a full, rich, yum scent. Like a foodie's idea of sex. It's not a foodie smell per say, but it feels like the ol factory bridge between tummy hunger and... the other kind of hunger.

 

It's been about eight hours and I can still smell a vanilla-ed, sugary muskiness close to my wrist. The throw is pretty much gone at this point, but I still have a cocky, come-hither swagger.

Centzon Totochtin

 

I sooo wanted to use the in all sincerity, alas, at least for now, it is a .

 

This started off very promising - a gritty, dark, bitter-but-not-whangy cocoa floating on the delicate surface tension of some luscious sacrificial wine.

 

Then it hit my skin.

 

Grape koolaid, y'all.

 

I'm gonna give my body a few weeks to work its hormonal kinks out (ooooh, sounds nasty!) and try again, because at first? So lovely. But this right now is just too sweet and grapey and where did all that nummy bitter chocolate go?!

 

Sigh.

 

Thanks to hepkitten for swapping with me!

Jacob's Ladder

 

A swap with hepkitten .

 

Sweet. Spicy. Whoa SPICY! Some flowers, an intense moment of "high-end store perfume" and then...

 

mmmmm. The hours later scent is glowing skin numminess. I want to slink up to people and whisper "I am a Golden God".

 

I would have enjoyed more costus and less rockrose (not entirely famliar with galbanum and benzoin... but I think they and the tonka and ambrette are all blending with the golden amber here) during the morphy part, but in all this is a scent to rival my usual private happy place scents (Tombstone, Queen of Sheba).

Three Witches, resurrected

 

A decanted swap from ketalady :bowdown:, thanks lady!

 

I love all three notes going in to this, though I've had burning issues with another company's cinnamon perfume oil... so I slathered medium to light and only on my wrists (the neck flesh, she is tres sensitive, no?).

 

There was a warning tingle, and a sudden flash like magnesium flares, but then just as quickly it was gone.

 

On me this is a short lived blend. I think my skin ate it.

 

While it was with me for those few scant hours, I got a full, round cinnamon with a warm, dry clove bottom and just a dash of pepper. Also a very heavy generic "baking" smell. Even though all of the components are classified as "foodie" it was much foodier than I expected.

 

In general I'm OK with this. I think it would be better as a room scent for me. If I get brave later, I might try it behind my ears.

Stardust

 

Kindly swapped from ketalady.

 

This is an Alter Ego scent. One that I would use to transform myself for an evening out.

 

In the imp this is pure Aqua-net, so much so that I had a very vivid flashback to ballet recitals. The feel of dippity-do and hairspray thick in the (h)air, the foam tower bristling with carnations the owners of the ballet studio always bought so that none of the girls would feel left out, and lots and lots of stage makeup.

 

The hairspray smell dissipate very quickly and is replaced with brilliant florals. Ylang ylang and tuberose I think.

 

Hours later this is still a great scent. Maybe not a LOOK AT ME scent like I thought it might be... but definately a come closer if you like whatchoo see sort of a firtatious dancefloor kind of vibe.

 

There is a smoky, musky, stale champagne undertone, but this is mostly florals.

 

Oddly enough, and maybe it's just the David Bowie suggestion doing this, it's a very androgynous floral. I'd probably wear this if I went clubbing in drag.

Moscow

 

A swap with ketalady!

 

I'm summoning my inner Scoobie Doo to let you know on my skin, this is pure RASMINE!

 

More descriptively, from the get-go this smelled like a big ol' fistful of JASMINE with a few crushed rose petals to change it up a bit.

 

There's the hint of spicy carnation to dial the overall sweetness down.

 

Hours later it's almost gone save for a rasmine ghost spotted through lily-shaped glasses.

 

This one was all flowers. I would have liked to pick out some tangerine, amber, bergamot, or musk, but it's not gonna happen with this one. Rut row!

Hamadryad

 

(from my Autumn Switch Witch kmasden!)

 

 

maewitch is spot on: this is WEIRD. I will note before my bizarre journey into What-the-Heckland that even when the blends and my skin do not get along, the blends are spectacular in their failure.

 

I have been breaking out of my "in the bottle/wet/drydown/later" review stages lately, but I have to go back to "in the bottle" for this one because the scent was so overpoweringly evocative of Nekko Conversation Hearts. I could almost taste the sweet, chalky, vaguely flavored (is it fruit? what is it?) essence of that nostalgic candy in my mouth when I smelled this in the imp.

 

Immediately after application I got a physcial WHOOSH sensation (all York Peppermint Patty like) and was hit HARD with that mystery wintergreen note.

 

Since then she's been fading very quickly on my wrists. She's now a soft, somewhat floral, mostly soapy scent. Very light, airly, clean, and just not me.

 

But wow. What a ride!

Dia de lost Muertos 2005

 

A swap from ketalady, who was kind enough to decant an imp even though this is one of her faves :bowdown:.

 

Short 'n' sweet:

 

Candied desert flowers.

 

To elaborate:

 

My first impression was very strong florals, which in my uneducated nose came across as JASMINE. My skin amps all kinds of florals, so I got this quasi-JASMINE for quite a while. But...

 

There was something undeniably edible about the blend. Those candied fruit slices (with peel included) come to mind very strongly. Candied, but also tart. And still this tough, succulent floral on top.

 

I believe the tobacco and incense are in there for me as well, providing a much-needed grounding for all this high, light, sweetness.

 

I will carefully use and love this imp until it is dry.

 

Medium throw, lovely waft... excellent staying power.

Yggdrasil

 

A swap with ketalady!

 

This is the most aquatic "woods" blend I've ever tried. It's bright, fresh, and green -- albeit a budding spring green, not the hard, shiny dark green of leaves that have toughened up for summer.

 

In fact, this almost veered into the fabric softener zone where most traditionally aquatic blends go on my skin... but it just missed it. Just.

 

This is very light, with low to no throw and very little staying power. I have to sniff directly from my wrist to really pick up anything. What little waft I have is the bright clean mystery scent while straight from the skin it is drier and more "woodsy".

 

This reminds me of the non-pumpkin effect of the ivy/wood/galangal pumpkin patch blend.

 

Perhaps this could be a spring scent?

Delphi

 

Another gimp from kmasden

 

This was unnerving in the bottle. She is a beautiful priestess in pristine robes burnished by the glow of dawn. She's hiding a knife under those robes, and you can tell by looking into her brilliant green eyes that blood will be shed.

 

There's a sort of culinary herbal bite, sweet boozy swirls, and an overwhelming need to run away right friggin' now.

 

I'm not sure from where this instinct to flight is coming, but it only happens when I'm sniffing nose-pressed-to-wrist.

 

After this alarming wet/drydown stage, she settles back into honeyed grace a little more. A little goes a long way with this blend, and the throw is pretty substantial.

 

Hours later I'm just getting a sweetened incense. No more daggers. Still, that phase at the beginning gives me pause. Definitely a re-try.

Nemesis

 

Two words: candied man.

 

OK. Maybe a few more words: this was a gimp from the Lab. The patchouli is what kept me from trying this in the first place, but I'm not really getting it at all here.

 

I MUST try this on The Mister tonight. I will pin him down with elbows, knees, and thighs if I have to.

Pannychis

 

Lovely gift from the lovely kmasden, who selected this based on my apparently jasmine-heavy wishlist.

 

Not much to add to other reviews and this one hasn't morphed like some of Beth's other blends do, so I'm going to lay it out for y'all:

 

Jasmine.

 

Yup. But for me at least, this "night blooming" kind, tempered as it is by moonflower, ylang ylang, sandalwood, currant and one of my favorite foodie spices, does not reach the "meaty jasmine" that I usually get from Beth (or, really, any jasmine oil out there).

 

This isn't light and delicate like Peitho. This is darker, but still fragile. My skin usually amps currant/berries/etc., but here it is evenly matched by the florals. It adds a sort of tart sweetness to keep everything from going to powder.

 

I do wish I could pick up more on some of the "warm" scents, but this is... tolerable to my jasmine-fatigued nose.

 

Both throw and waft are medium (a little heavier on the waft) but I did apply very sparingly. A little really does go a long way with this one.

 

I'd say this is the perfect scent to go with my more "Gothy" summer dresses/moods.

Cathedral

 

A fascinating gimp from kmasden, my Autumn Switch Witch.

 

I just can't pin this one down... it keeps shifting not only through the various phases, but also depending on how close you are to my skin. This is really amazing.

 

In the bottle:

Sharp green, resinous cedar.

 

Wet:

The sharp edge softens, the cedar warms, and it feels like a combination of incense sticks got snuffed all at once.

 

Drydown:

I'm getting a very strong, dry, warm Nag Champa.

 

Later:

This has medium to light throw on me. What's really beguiling me at the moment is the waft vs. the "wrist sniff" scent. I'm wafting a cool, lemony incense note. Very bright, yellow, just a touch soapy. As my nose approaches my wrist (and trust me, everyone at work thinks I'm a total freak now but I can't! Stop! Doing it!) I can almost visualize the yellow fog dissipating and parting to reveal an incense stick ash-stained wooden chest. It's warm, dry, and just the epitome of comforting.

 

I'm not much for lemony scents, but this other side of the split personality effect is gorgeous! The very tail end of my deep wrist inhalations evoke a very strong sense memory of watching my grandmother on my father's side genuflecting to her small altar in her Hong Kong condo.

From my crazy generous Autumn Switch Witch kmasden. This one stayed pretty much true to form from the get go, so I'm dropping the usual review format to give a more whimsical impression:

The cold winter rain that smeared through the village all weekend remains a constant drone, lulling everyone in the house into napping around the fire.

Mamma is nodding slowly over her knitting. Pappa snores softly from his corner of the room. My own eyes droop and snap back open every time the fire pops.

But he is still awake. He is watching us, and I feel his regard like a sudden pulse of cold through the now stifling heat. His face, which was friendly and open when he entered the house, is darker now. I can barely make out the glimmer of reflected firelight when he moves his eyes -- the only movements he's made since conversation slipped underneath the hiss of rain.

I want to run -- away from him and straight to him at the same time. Nothing has changed. Everything has changed.

Peitho

 

What is this "myrtle" of which you speak? I see only JASMINE. Surrender to her!

 

Another fine gimp from kmasden!

 

In the bottle:

Straight up jasmine. Not jasmine tea, nor the "meaty" jasmine I sometimes get (why does jasmine make me think of slightly spoiled steaks?), just a heady, floral jasmine.

 

Wet:

Smells like a overripe jasmine bloom that is a little crinkly on the edges.

 

Drydown:

My skin loves to throw jasmine. Total jasmine tosser. Too bad I'm not terribly in love with it. But this is... bordering on nice. I'm not getting any of the other notes as prominently as the jasmine, but there's a really well blended, warm something that keeps this jasmine from completely taking over.

 

Later:

For the first half of the day, I've got incredible throw and waft. Right now (about six hours later) there's still a good "glow" about me, but I don't think I'm throwing that far.

 

This is the most persuasive jasmine scent I've ever worn of Beth's. If I were to keep a jasmine on hand, it would be this one!

Wolfsbane

 

Another in my newly gimped stash from my Autumn Switch Witch, kmasden!

 

In the bottle:

Herbal, sharp, green, uh... soap? This is very assertive. Aggressive, even.

 

Wet:

The soap, thankfully, fades almost immediately. The greens have swirls of rose, but it stays mostly sharp and herbal.

 

Drydown:

There's a hint of the sandalwood, but once again, this remains mostly sharp and green.

 

Later:

 

Alas! I got caught up with work and didn't really see much of Wolfsbane after that. By the end of the day it was all but gone. There was the faintest rosy green shadow on my wrists.

 

I'll have to give this one another try. The beginning is very much a "take charge" kind of scent, but it calmed way the heck down at the end.

I think Baba Yaga is still "unreleased". Correct me if I'm wrong folks!

Sri Lanka

 

Wow. I don't think I've gone from to so drastically over the lifespan of any oil before.

 

This was a wonderful gift from my Autumn Switch Witch, kmasden!

 

In the bottle:

strong, bracing men's cologne (a better quality one), lots of green, resinous woods and then OMG YIKES! Toilet cleaner! Huh?

 

Wet:

The really antiseptic edge softens and thankfully fades away, but what remains is a slightly alarming aquatic slathered over the usual warmth of cedarwood/cedar/myrrh.

 

Drydown:

This has incredible throw and pack a huge punch at this stage. The patchouli is present, but not so much as a scent as it is an action. For me patchouli = forceful hippy head shop. I'm getting bullied around by this blend.

 

The aquatic edge is also still hovering over everything. Like icy water threatening a smoldering incense stick.

 

I'm not really liking it at this point.

 

Later:

Seven+ hours later and I'm in luuurve. The aquatic/bathroom cleaner/whatever it was has finally faded and all that's left is a warm, resinous, incensy skin scent. Very, very nice. This is very close to the skin now, but still strong when I sniff my wrist. The woods are blended together to a nice rosy sweet smell, and the myrrh keeps it from becoming cloyingly sweet.

 

I've also got Silk Road in the queue for comparison. I'm not sure if I can go through all the initial stages to get here, when I have other incense/resin/woody blends that don't cause panic upon application. But this last stage is vera vera nice.

Some people get pineapple out of Baba Yaga, but I don't think this is a catalog scent yet. Maybe a combo of BY and a coconutty blend (Grog?). That's probably more work than you want for a singular effect.

My fall back comfort scents are Jabberwocky and Tombstone. If I want to indulge my Bad Mood I reach for Brimstone or Hellfire.

Sloth

 

Post number 1000! I thought I'd better mark this milestone with what brought me to the forums in the first place, the reviews!

 

A generous gimp from Emu Nymph () Hey lady! This was wishlisted because of the myrrh. Vetiver and I are passing acquaintances. We nod and smile, but I don't think we really know eachother yet.

 

In the bottle: sharp, heavy, green verging on dried up dead brownblack. A little musty.

 

Wet/drydown: there's something here that evokes Hellfire, Brimstone, and Danse Macabre. Lacking my handy dandy spreadsheet it's a tossup between the two sumo wrestlers (urraca, I love your well worded review!).

 

The darkish color of the oil suggests a light hand on application and I'm glad I followed that instinct because whoa is this is strong one.

 

Later: four hours later, and this has stayed very true to the wet stage. Definitely not an everyday scent, but it is extremely compelling to me (much in the way the aforementioned blends are as well). This is great for my androgynous days.

 

As far as being Slothlike is concerned... well I have been at work for four hours now and have spent the embarrassing majority on here.