mrsveteran

Oooh, darn it, I haven't smelled Road Opener yet. Hopefully someone will see this and tell us more about it. :-)

In the imp: Very watery, a bit fruity, like watermelon (but not sweet) and a touch of lemon. Dry? Dust? Wine? Got none of that. Wet on skin: This is so interesting. Very aquatic to me with the barest, BAREST hint of something citrusy and spicy. Drydown. I have no idea what to think of this. It's indescribable -- literally, I'm having a very hard time describing it! Very, very light. I get no dirt out of this whatsoever. There's a barely-there floral, a barely-there citrus, and a barely-there medicinal herbal, but the whole thing is just a blend: I mean, a real merging into one scent. Throw: almost none. I really have to get my nose right up on my wrist to smell it. Verdict: Swap. It's really quite a lovely and interesting scent, but it's far too light for me and I'd probably never wear it. I think it would make a good unisex scent. It's not too sweet, not too floral, not too girlie, not too boyie ... just light and fresh.

Haha! They kind of do! The picture is slightly blurry, but it's bright white letters on those kind of teal/turquoise blue bars, and it does have a sort of optical illusion vibratory quality to it. I don't know what I was expecting (maybe someone in prison stripes stirring a cauldron?) but I really like this. It's very simple, yet elegant, just like the drink it symbolizes. Hee! MV

One out of two ain't bad:

In the bottle: This seems "green" to me. It's like the smell down by a river where we used to picnic. A little bit of sweet fruit in there, but not identifiable. Wet on skin: The riverside scent gets stronger. I'm having a terrible time identifying anything in this, although "fruit" of some kind is coming out. Drydown: AH! When I was a kid, we used to love Bonne Bell "Lip Smackers" lip glosses. This smells EXACTLY like the old Bonne Bell 7-Up scented lip gloss! I mean exactly like it. One hour later: I agree with Lobster -- it's much like a wine spritzer. It's fizzy and clean and a bit tart and tangy. I can't detect any single scent like ketchup or apple or anything. I just love this! Throw: Not bad. On my arm, I can smell it while walking around, but just faintly. Verdict: I think I'm gonna have to snag another bottle before this is gone. Love it!

I sucked up my courage and emailed the lab to see if they could recommend a scent equivalent to Charisma, but I don't know if I'll get an answer. If I do, I'll post it. Hey, it was worth a shot, right? MV

In the imp: Sweet almond with something almost a bit salty like a pretzel. Wet on skin: This really smells a lot like a white-chocolate-covered pretzel with maybe a side of strawberries and amaretto. Drydown: A fruity and a green, herby scent begin to come out...Ah, and there's some coconut. The green herby/weedy scent is a bit too much for me, though. One hour later: More fruity/coconutty. Almost like weeding the garden while wearing coconut oil suntan lotion. Throw: I can smell it from about a foot away. Verdict: Unfortunately, while I like the sweetness and the coconut, that green note whatever it is just doesn't work for me. Swap pile.

In the imp: Grape and honeysuckle/lilac Wet on skin: The lilac/honeysuckle note is getting stronger, and not so much of the fruity grape scent. Drydown: Hm. It seems to be becoming a rather unfortunate synthetic lilac. Very strong. Lovely, but somehow "fake." After an hour: This is a very lovely lilac scent with a bit of nag champa. I think the nag champa is where I'm getting "grape" from, as it always seems to smell a bit fruity to me. Throw: Medium: I can smell it about a foot or so away. Verdict: While I love the scent, it's not one I'll wear very often. I'll keep the imp, but won't be looking for any more ...

In the imp: A very soft and light floral scent. Wet on skin: A bit of the vanilla is sweetening up the orchid. Drydown: Sweet orchid comes into its own here. I'm not sure what stephanotis smells like, but this is a lovely floral. Very soft, not at all sharp, and even a tiny bit musky. One hour later: The vanilla and floral have ceased fighting for supremacy, and have merged into a lovely mesh of both where it's difficult to tell where one leaves off and the other begins. It's a gorgeous blend. It has gone a bit "baby powdery" but only a little. Throw: Medium: I can smell it about a foot away. Verdict: Overall, a lovely, soft, sweet floral scent. Not sickly sweet by any means, just very lovely and feminine. Unfortunately, while I like these sorts of scents, I don't like to wear them, so this one's for the swap pile.

In the imp: Rose. And I don't just mean rose, I mean ROSE. I couldn't detect any other notes in this -- it was like a rose garden in full bloom. It's a great scent for Helena, but not for me. Verdict: I left out the wet on skin, drydown, and throw categories because I wasn't even about to try this on. One sniff was enough to tell me that this was very, very, very much sweet, flowery rose. I'm sure it's a lovely scent, but I can't abide rose on me. Off to the swap pile where hopefully it will eventually go to a rose-lover.

In the imp: Soft, sweet fruit with a hint of amber. Very faint. Wet on skin: Almost a musky, soft fruit. Still faint. Drydown: There's almost a mint thing happening ...Mint and ... apricot? No, peach. Yes! It's a bright, lovely, juicy peach ... Play-doh. Whoops. Yup, Peach Play-doh, all right. It's also much stronger than when I put it on. One hour later: If Jolly Rancher peach candy and Play-doh had a child, it would smell like this. Throw: Medium: I can smell it from about a foot away. Verdict: Swap pile. ~sigh~ Love the peach, can't take the Play-doh.

In the imp: Hm. It's very, very faint. I can actually barely smell it at all! The amber smells like a little bit of caramel. Wet on skin: Wow, I really had to slather this on to get much of a sense of it. Still caramel with a bit of cinnamon or clove or perhaps pipe tobacco. Drydown: The amber comes out and merges with the cinnamon/clove so that the spice doesn't stick out so much. Definitely a warm, golden scent as other reviewers have mentioned. The scent of baby powder starts to come out after awhile, as does a lovely sort of green grassy scent with almost the faintest hint of sage. After an hour: It's almost like a really nice pipe tobacco, but with a delicate feminine touch. The amber, spices, and grassy scents are perfectly blended into a coherent whole. It's really lovely. Throw: Very faint. I can barely smell it. Verdict: This is a lovely scent, but it's not really "me." I would have loved it when I was a teenager, though. That's not to say it's a juvenile scent by any means, just that I liked ambers, baby powder, and so forth when I was that age and while I can still appreciate them, I don't care to wear them. Swap pile, but not without some regret.

In the imp: Good LORD, it's Picante sauce! Or salsa! It reminds me of pimento loaf lunchmeat with a very, very strong sharp smell to it. Wet on skin: This is a very strong scent -- like weeding the garden without the smell of earth. It's the smell of those horrible weeds that are the very devil to pull out and always break off and ooze all over your gardening gloves some kind of milky white goo which, no matter how you try to avoid it, always ends up getting on your fingers such that even after washing your hands, if you eat something like a sandwich you end up tasting it. Ack. Uck. Pfft! Drydown: It seems to be getting a bit mellower, and not quite as sharp, but it's still quite unpleasant to my nose. There's a very pleasant sweetish, almost fruity smell underneath and that horrid sharp "weedy" note is going away. One hour later: Oooh, it's a lovely, tasty, grape candy sort of smell, like Jolly Rancher. Too bad it didn't smell like this from the beginning. Throw: I'm starting to wonder if my skin just sucks up most scents. I can only smell this if I get my nose about an inch away. Verdict: I don't know what that sharp/pimento/weed milk note is, but I dislike it intensely. While the scent after about 15 minutes isn't horrible, it's not great either. The final scent simply isn't worth the wet and drydown phases to me, so this one is going to the swap pile.

In the imp: Oooh, sweet almond! Wet on skin: Lovely -- sweet almond with a hint of softness. Drydown: no, no, no, no, NO! It's turning to baby powder! 1 hour later: This is just pure baby powder, with maybe a teensy hint of musk. It smells a bit like the old Avon scent Pavi Elle. I used to like Pavi Elle when I was 16, but now ... not so much. Throw: Strong enough that I can smell it while typing, and so that I can smell it from my hand when walking, but not so strong as to knock out passersby. Verdict: This is NOT for me. I just don't care for baby powder anymore. I don't mind it on others, but not on myself. Grr.

In the imp: Apples with a hint of mint Wet on skin: The mint is beginning to overpower the apple. It's almost a Wrigley's Spearmint Gum smell. Drydown: This is really morphing in an interesting way. There's a sort of clean, male aftershave smell, or perhaps shaving lotion. Toothpaste and Edge shave gel. No apples at all at this point. One hour later: Pretty much Colgate regular flavor toothpaste and Edge shaving gel with a teensy hint of Wrigley's Spearmint gum and a dollop of baby powder. This is not an unpleasant scent by any means: it's extremely clean and fresh. However, I think I'd like this more on my husband than on myself. Throw: Faint. I can only smell it when I'm a few inches away. Verdict: It's a lovely clean and fresh scent which is unfortunately not me. Off it goes to the swap pile.

Hm. I wonder if anyone has actually ever asked anyone over there if they would mind telling us a scent equivalent of a TAL oil? It's kind of fun to guess, but on the other hand, Beth or someone could probably give us a better answer. Hey, it couldn't hurt to ask! From the Reviews of Charisma, people have said that it reminded them of Hymn, Mata Hari, and Faustus. I have a hard time placing one note in Charisma, but I seem to get amber (or maybe ambergris), patchouli, and something ... sweet. If you ask the lab, and they tell you, would you mind posting back here if they say it's okay? I'd love to get a lab opinion on what Charisma is closest to, BPAL-wise. MV

Not a problem. I'll wait until the date updates and then worry. Thanks!

Hm. If the "packed through" thread says May 31, and people are reporting CnS for May 31 orders, and you have a May 26 order with no CnS yet, should you contact the lab to ask about it, or just wait? (Yes, desperately awaiting my CnS. haha!)

Oooh, and speaking of Sexual Energy, I just tried Bengal (Wanderlust) and it is very close! Love that cinnamon!

In the imp: Cinnamon with a hint of something a little bit sweet that makes the cinnamon a little less fiery. Wet on skin: The cinnamon is stronger, and the sweetness is gone. Drydown: There's an almost woody scent coming through. Not quite cedar -- maybe pine? The cinnamon is blending with this other scent so that it is starting to have the scent of a dry cinnamon stick. I'm not getting pepper or ginger from this at all, although maybe the ginger blending with the cinnamon is what's giving it that woody smell to me. One hour later: It's cinnamon with a hint of musk. This is actually quite nice -- somewhat like Three Witches, only not quite as strong on the cinnamon. Throw: Wet, it's quite strong. As it dries down, it fades a bit, but is strong enough for me to smell it on the backs of my hands while typing. Verdict: This may be the GC equivalent of Three Witches for me! I have one 5ml, but when that runs out, I may replace it with Bengal. This is a great fall/winter scent for me, and I love cinnamon. Thumbs up!

In the imp: sour, perfumey smell. A bit floral, but with a citrus note that smells like grapefruit. I'm not getting pear from this at all. Wet on skin: How strange. Now it's very pink-grapefruitish with maybe a hint of rose? Drydown: It's becoming sweeter as time goes on. Almost like pink grapefruit candy, but not the really tart kind of candy, more like a lemon drop. One hour later: Now it's turned very floral -- must be the plumeria -- and has the sort of overall impression that I think of when I think "perfume." Something rather unpleasantly alcoholish and astringent on top of a bit of tangy fruit and a strong floral. This would give me a headache if it had any throw to speak of. I can detect a bit of pear now, but it's overpowered by the floral. Throw: Minimal. Unless my nose is very close, I can't get much of a whiff. Verdict: Sadly, another one for the swap pile. I had hopes for it when it was in the pink-grapefruit candy phase, but the final scent is too much like the Giorgio or Primo from the 80's. I really wanted to like this one, but the plumeria was just too much.

In the imp: It's a rather unpleasant greenish smell. It's not sweet at all. Very bitter. Perhaps neroli? There's a faint bit of citrus, but overall, very strong and bitter. Wet on skin: Still very bitter. There is a faint hint of sweetness coming through, but the bitter, green scent is predominant. Drydown: Goodness, it's fading fast! It's not changing much, but it's getting very faint. After an hour: Very, very faint baby powder. Throw: Very strong when wet, but disappears to almost nothing within about 10 minutes. Verdict: Swap pile. I find this scent very unpleasant when wet, and it disappears extremely fast. Not worth a bottle to me.

In the imp: Crisp, fresh, juicy Golden Delicious apples right off the tree! Wet on skin: Still the Golden Delicious, but a teensy bit of spice is starting to peek out, as though the apples are being made into hot, spiced cider Drydown: As it dries, the scent becomes more and more like the smell of hot, spiced cider. There's a bit of tartness there, but the fresh apple is still peeking out if I smell my wrist. This is almost exactly the scent I search for in candles and air fresheners -- hot spiced cider or maybe apple pie. It's amazing! Throw: Nice, but not overpowering. I can get whiffs of it from my wrists as I type, but then again, I slathered a ton of it on. Verdict: Pure, hot spiced apple cider. Deeee-lish! I am now seeking as much of this as I can find! This is one of my all-time favorites.

In the bottle: Oh. My. God. Read the Lab's description of this scent and that's exactly what you get. Pure, buttered popcorn. Movie theater butter. Buttered Popcorn Jelly Belly! Just a teensy hint of sweetness. Wet on skin: Same -- I honestly have no better description than "buttered popcorn." It is delicious! Drydown: As it dries, it becomes a tiny bit sweeter, almost like a popcorn ball or kettle corn, but still buttery popcorn goodness. After an hour: It's not a very strong scent, but it really doesn't seem to change that much on me from the bottle to the drydown. I am in love. Throw: Somewhat weak after drydown: I have to sniff my wrist to really smell it. Verdict: This scent delivers exactly what is promised in the description. It's definitely one of my new favorites, and big thanks to sookster for selling me a bottle when she saw it on my ISO post. I'll be on the lookout for more of this, definitely! Important Aging info on this scent: Edited 8/2011 to add - just as background info, I keep my oils in a special temperature-controlled fridge-sort-of thing at about 65 degrees F year round. The bottle of Shill I got in 2007 still smells almost the same to me. However, I recently (7/2011ish) got a bottle of Shill from the Lab in an eBay auction, and something in it seems to have destabilized. There's a sort of sharp note to it that's just a little bit "off." I got two other bottles of Shill in different swaps recently, and the same thing. So, basically, at this point, several years later, it appears that Shill doesn't particularly age well. However, if you keep it very cool (like I said, around 65F/18C or so), or if the person selling it has kept it very cool, you have a chance of it staying more like the original. Note that this is ONLY my experience, and at first I thought it was a problem with the swapper. But seriously, the bottle I got from the LAB had kinda turned, and you know they probably store things well, so I think it's a problem with one of the notes in the scent.

In the imp: Oooh, this is gorgeous. A very light, clean citrus. Maybe grapefruit or pink grapefruit. Fresh, summery, and tasty. I don't get mint out of this at all. Wet on skin: Still the nice light citrus, but a bit of something sweet is peeking out. Drydown: ARGH! I knew this was too good to be true. As it dries down, the clear, fresh citrus disappears and the sweetish scent comes out until it is pure Ivory soap. Not that I mind Ivory soap as soap, but I don't want to smell like it! After an hour: Pure soap. Gives me a headache. And I so wanted to like this one! Throw: Average. I can smell it a bit while typing, but it's not overpowering. Verdict: The imps are off to the swap/sale pile. This doesn't work for me.