mazikeen

Since foody and boozy scents are definitely not my thing, my nose isn't particularly discerning when it comes to describing them. I have a hard time figuring out what makes Drink Me different from Jack or Grog, for instance. They're in the same family. Eat Me is also a relative, obviously. They're all sitting down together at the same big gluttonous feast, in a weird cacaphony of food smells. I can't tell where one ends and the other begins. So, like its cousins mentioned above, Drink Me is enjoyable every now and again in very small doses, but in general it's simply not for me-- I have to politely excuse myself from the table.

Artificial strawberry scented car air freshner. Too young, too sickly sweet. This is one of the few BPALs that I've disliked so much that I had to wash it off. Immediately. Sorry, Jester, you're just not for me.

It smells like walking into a room with an indoor pool! Chilly chlorine that's oddly comforting (I always love that chemical blast of walking near a pool). Then it turns herbal and light. It's very nice. Pretty-- definitely not what I would typically think of as "masculine." Unfortunately it fades fast. Villain drops by for a memorable visit, but hightails it out the door as soon as he can. Lovely, and the kind of scent I could fall head over heels in love with. However, with the super-short wearlength I just can't justify a bottle.

The words that come to mind are : lush, fruity, sweet, ripe, red. Like some mythical fruit that is just so plump and bursting that its juices run sticky down your chin. This must be what the Forbidden Fruit tasted like. It's a nice scent, and a bit flirty. After awhile, there's something --a spiciness? an earthiness? I can't pinpoint it-- in the background, but it's slight. It remains juicy and bright. It's not something I'd buy a bottle of, but I will keep the imp for whenever temptation strikes.

*nuzzling wrist* This is men's cologne-y in a GREAT way. Words like "cologne" are usually a deterrent for me, but this is wonderful. Warm and smoky (I guess that's amber?). I'll be wearing this, but I definitely want to get my husband to try some on... that'd be divine. *nuzzle nuzzle nuzzle* Added almost 2 years later: Wowzers, I forgot how good this is. It's still a bit masculine, but it's become slightly feminized now with age. Age is very kind to Saint-Germain, I must say. Now the emphasis is on lavender. At this point I wouldn't even think to use the word "cologne" to describe this, at all. It's divine. Bottle-worthy, no doubt about it.

Its a strong floral. It's not delicate-- I appreciate that. Can't miss the lilac in this! It's not really my thing, but it is nice. I'll keep the imp-- it could grow on me. Tried again 11/11/08-- Tons of strong lilac. I had it on my wrists and tried to make food... gross. I had to wash it off. Sorry, Cordelia, you're not a keeper after all.

Sigh. This is yet another CD scent that I was sure I'd love and bought a bottle of unsniffed. Also, I adore the art. In the bottle, I think Priala smells like raisins. On the skin, I get the cinnamon-- it's more of a natural cinnamon bark scent as opposed to a "red" cinnamon, which is good. However, the cinnamon mixed with that raisin-y smell makes me smell like oatmeal raisin cookies. Well, except for the oatmeal scent-- that definitely is not present in Priala, but nonetheless, there it is: raisin cookies. Pass. Yet another bottle I'll have to sell one of these days. ADDED 3 (!) YEARS LATER-- I revisited this one after it's aged a long time. That raisin element is totally gone-- there's nothing food-like about it anymore. Still a brown cinnamon scent. The word that comes to mind is toasted. This is a nice toasted brown scent; fired as opposed to firey. Success! This has found a new home in my main collection... Priala is no longer banished. Horray!

First thoughts (in the bottle and freshly applied): It makes me think of an old health food store. No, not modern ones, but the kind we went to when I was a kid in the late 70s/early 80s. A little dismal (despite their best efforts), with vats of beans and other dried and powdered ingredients. The only brightly colored wrappers in the place contained disappointment: carob, not chocolate. The bitter smell of this takes me back to these sorts of places. If you nuzzle around, you can find something nice (or at least, sort of appealing) but the first impression is off-putting. I like it more after its dried. I'm still not sure that I'd ever want to wear it, though. This is vetiver? I thought I liked vetiver? I ordered a ton of CD bottles (unsniffed) because I was sure the ingredients would work for me. So far, all the ones I thought would be good aren't, and the ones I took a chance on have been great. Weird. If this were an imp I'd keep it, but I have a whole bottle. I'm going to have to start reselling this stuff... [Added later-- after awhile, this does smell nice. It seems that all those health food store ingredients made a nice meal. Still, though, I smell like a meal. Oh, the irony! I'm a lifelong vegetarian and thought this smelled first like a health food store, and then, like a meal... and this scent is BLOOD AND SMOKE. I'm not sure what to think about that...] ADDED 3 YEARS (!) LATER-- I dug this out from its dark recess today on a whim. Now... I love it! That bitter health-food-store smell is gone. It's smoky, but not too much. Good throw, pretty long-lasting. What an awesome surprise!

A bit lemony? I'm guessing it's the fir. When he fades, the Doc turns so soft and gentle. Is that amber that smells so soft and lovely here? I'm terrible at identifying scents, but whatever this is, I am addicted. I can't stop smelling my wrist, and I keep wanting to apply more more more more as if it's candy that I can't stop eating. I added a bottle of this onto my last order as an afterthought and now it's rocketed up on my list of favorites. It's a scent that I could wear in any season, any mood, in any situation. Oh good Doctor, I think I am in love. Added later-- I think I know why I love this so much-- it has an herbal-y quality much like my beloved Odin. I'm loving Doc Constantine so much!

The words that spring to mind are: bright, clean, happy, bold, confident, summery If I had just put on sunscreen, I'd slather some 51 on too, because I suspect that it'd munch up that scent and sort of mask it. This is just a theory, though-- I haven't tried it. After the initial bright blast of it wears down, the greeniness lingers. I'm glad I have the imp, but don't think I'll go through it fast enough to warrant a bottle. Nonetheless, recommended. ETA-- I dunno.. my impression has changed. It doesn't seem "green" anymore, just lemony/flowery. It's in my "meh" pile. In other words, "fine but nothing awesome." Several times I've generously dabbed it on the paper filter inside my vaccum cleaner to make the house smell nice.

Reading the description (leather + herbs) and the glowing reviews I was sure that this would be a winner. The first stage was nice-- very herby and almost medicinal (in a good way!). By the time it arrived in the mail I had forgotten what was in it and wondered to myself, "This is what a shrunken head smells like? Weird... I figured it'd smell like leather or something. Oh well." No leather, but so far, so good. But then it turns into a scent weirdly evocative of cigarette smoke. It's okay, I can handle it, I lived with a heavy smoker for 10+ years and so at first it was a little nostalgic, but after an hour or two it was too much. Disappointing. (I couldn't go into work smelling like that so I covered it up with some Faeu Boulanger.) I'm baffled... leather usually is a guaranteed homerun on me, as are herbs. Why am I the only one getting an icky smell here? I will try it again (and again) to see if there's any change for the better. I really want to like it (because I have a whole bottle of it) so I will hold out hope. Added after 2 YEARS of aging: It's hardly changed at all. Put it on, cigarette smoke. Leave it on, cigarette smoke. Some herbal-ness comes out, but its buried under there. This is, I think, the only scent with leather in it in any capacity which hasn't worked for me. The hubby loves leather scents too, so I'll try it on him sometime.

I think she's right. Can I get geeky on you all for a second? I promise it won't hurt. I declare this to be the official scent of Zangarmarsh, in the Outlands (in the World of Warcraft, naturally). You know those big insects that sting you there, that make you sparkle for awhile? The first stage of FB is like that-- sure, you can't stealth but why would you want to when you smell this great? That first stage smells cool and bright and a little fizzy-- other people are saying cucumber and mint, and I see what they mean, but I swear I smell grapefruit. This phase goes away after awhile, but lasts just long enough. After that, this oil lingers nicely on my skin for the rest of the day. Perfect. The name of the scent is weird and makes me think of a fairy working in a French pastry shop, but it sure doesn't smell that way. I LOVE this scent. LOVE. Perfection. I will be wearing this a LOT. Faeu Boulanger FTW!

I ordered this simply because of the Harry Potter reference... yeah, I'll admit it. I'm that kinda nerd. Plus, the woodsiness of it seemed very appealing. At first it's all cedar-- wonderful, warm cedar. Yeeears ago, I had Crabtree & Evelynn body wash that was cedar & orange. I loved that stuff and portioned it out as if it were liquid gold. It was one of the first things that made me pay attention to scent in general and broadened my horizons past the strawberry essential oil that I'd worn since a teenager. Bezoar promises a return to this long-missed scent, minus the orange. It's cedar-- comforting and woodsy. Unfortunately, this stage only lasts about a half-hour. Then, it kinda... sours? Is that the right word? It's not bad (nothing I have to wash off) but it's not really great either. Alas. This stage lasts a LOOONG time-- 14 hours later I could still smell it clearly nose-to-wrist. One of the longest-lasting BPALs I've yet discovered. I think I'll try it a few more times, because I really want to like it. We shall see. Added-- Verdict: I'm keeping Bezoar. That woodsy smell is nice, but mostly I'll be wearing this with other scents. It provides a nice balance-- I can put something more feminine-smelling on, but then sneak in Bezoar in the crooks of my elbows to "ground" a light or floral scent.

Hastur is wonderfully mean and delightfully nasty. This smells black, brown & dark icky gray. I'm a fan. It's very smoky. That smoke scent really lingers. Or rather, lurks. I think it's very wearable, but best at night. It's barely work-appropriate (if it even is at all), but that's okay with me-- I hardly expected a Duke of Hell to play nice with others. All this darkness and smoke may give the impression that its too strong or strange, but fear not. Dark, yes; scary or off-putting, no. I'm glad I have a bottle. Hastur is now my official "smoky" scent. Added later-- I suspect that what I called "smoky" is more accurately described as "resinous." It's just a hunch, as my scent vocabulary is a bit limited, I'm afraid.

I got a full bottle of this accidentally-- I ordered Odin and was sent Omen. They sound alike but they sure don't smell alike! I think Omen smells like Masabakes' little sister. It must be the myrrh? I adore Masabakes, but if you think it is too weird or strong for you, you may prefer Omen-- it seems less severe and more wearable. The wearlength is about 4-5 hours, tops. Omen smells great; I really like it. However, since I'm on my 2nd bottle of Masabakes already, my heart already belongs to another-- poor nice Omen is just a third wheel. ADDED 3 (!) YEARS LATER-- Pulled this out recently. After all that aging, this no longer is a spitting image of Masabakes... that dark myrrh has faded into the background. There's a really nice subtle outdoorsy (non-sweet) berry that's become much more prominent. I get a whiff of the patchouli but its not overshadowing anything else. This is great! This will come out of its hidey-hole and into my regular collection. Horray!

I've had this for ages and have worn it frequently, but I'm still at a loss how to describe this. Hex is great-- it seems very alive. Floral-ish and fruit-ish but not really; not in the usual way. I usually avoid floral-y and fruity but I adore this. It's as if the strong earthy scents counter the airy/sweet florals. There is the slightest hint of smoke underneath grounding everything, but the smokiness is very very subtle. Hex is both dark and happy. Again, I'm at a loss here. I don't know what to think about Hex other than it is extremely, wonderfully wearable and I'll get a lot of use out of it. I wear it when I'm feeling mischievious. Added-- The "fruitiness" is the fir. So... when I said it wasn't fruity in the usual way, it was because it wasn't fruity at all-- this is what fir smells like on me. Also, very long wearlength! I could still smell it on my wrist in bed 11 hours later!

I'm not a fruity/floral type, and this is 100% a Fruity Flower Explosion. I know that I have a tendency to slather, which was unfortunate in this case... it was so in-my-face with its Smiley Face Floral Extravaganza that it was hard to concentrate. I know that it's simply not for me. If you think you don't like fruits and flowers, this is not the scent that's going to change your mind. If you do go in for that sort of thing, well, move along to another review.

I was going to second (third? fourth? fifth? what the hell) my 2 favorites: Masabakes and Troll. I see you already got Masabakes... I hope you like it! Also, it's GC but unimpable: War. Some days I love it, but other days I'm scared of it. It's an aggressive OMGPEPPER scent. It's a scary pretty lady shoving tiny knives into your face. You've made me want to try these!!

Ooooh! Thank you thank you!!

Foooooody. Obviously. It's slightly alcoholic, like a cake or candy you bite into unwittingly only to find it filled with that gooey sticky liqueur that makes your cheeks flush. I received it as an imp, and will not buy a bottle. I will keep and occasionally wear the imp, though... it will join Jack and Grog in my little food/alcohol collection. In general, foody scents just aren't my thing. Edit-- The scent shifts in a neat way. After a while I keep smelling... I'm not sure what, but it's something red. And whiffs of cream. Most of the alcohol has fled, leaving behind something gentler than I expected.

Does anyone have photos posted of any Good Omens bottles? I own War, Crowley & Aziraphale already, but I'm particularly interested in Hastur, Ligur, Wensleydale, and The Buggre Alle This Bible. Thanks!!

This made me imagine a gravesite-- dry, dusty, crumbling stone. One of those reeeeeally old graves: "Here lyes Sarah Prudence Goodwife 1794-1825" or something like that. ...Except, we always imagine cemetaries at night or in dismal circumstances. These places don't cease to exist when it's beautiful out! Thanatos makes me think of one of those graves, but then you look up and realize that it's the most gorgeous mild, perfect, sunny spring day imaginable. It hints at something a little dark, but yet is so welcoming and inviting. Reading the inspiration for the scent, I'd say this nails it pretty well! Funny, I had no idea there was rose in here until I read the reviews. Here is proof that I shouldn't let rose scare me off, or assume that it'll make for an unpleasantly feminine scent. This one could reeeeeally grow on me. I'll definitely end up using the entire imp and could even graduate to a bottle later. It seems like something I could reach for in all sorts of weather and moods.

This scent is bright. The mental image I got was of a box of Crayola markers-- the ones that are/were called "bold." This smells like bright gold, magenta, and lime green. (No, this does not smell like markers... it just evokes those certain colors.) It fades fast, but is nice while it lasts. It's not really my thing, but I'll save it for when the mood strikes... like when I'm feeling, er, rainbowy.

This is a quinessentially summer scent for me. I am so disapointed that I was dead broke and couldn't buy a bottle of this in time. (I got just an imp, which is better than nothing.) I initially bought an imp just for the name. It was a surprise hit, that I never thought of as a "favorite," yet I found myself wearing almost everyday last summer. It's one of the few imps that I used up entirely in a very short time span. When I heard it was discontinued, I picked up another imp... but I really wish that I had a big bottle. I didn't appreciate it then (in the winter) but now that the sun is out again, I'm pining for Ra. Ra at first seems like it'd be very heated. (Until it totally dries, sometimes it feels like it makes my skin red.) However, as its worn, Ra is more like the memory of heat. Ra is rich thick spice on me. Almost cinnamon, but not remotely foody. Not men's cologne-y either. It smells great slathered on thickly. While it seems as though it'd be overwhelming in large doses, it isn't. It smells like part of my skin. I'm not an outdoorsy person, and I don't do well in the sun... but I do love the scent of the sun god Ra. It makes me think of summer late afternoon... the sun has been beating down all day, but the heat has subsided. Everything is warm and seems to glow. It's that feeling of utter contentment, getting out of work and knowing that you've got a great evening in store. The kind of evening when just sitting on your back porch with some friends and some beers, enjoying the last rays of the day, seems blissful and almost magical.

My favorite scents are sometimes the hardest to review, and this is one of them. I adore Yggdrasil. It first it is almost mentholated and then it settles down into a happy bright green. Of the green scents I've tried, this one is my feminine green. It makes me think of new green plants in a spring rain. (That's the visual image... I'm not sure if it smells like that?) Describing this is so hard for me-- when I smell this, my brain just says "LOVE" and then promptly ceases to formulate any descriptive words. This is one of my all-time favorites.