ralenth

Wet: Lush red roses dripping in patchouli.

Drydown: Lovely soft red musk, a hint of patchouli, and a soft bloom of rose underneath.

Dry: Soft, and lusciously feminine. The notes have melded together gorgeously. It is challenging to pick them out.

Wet: Gorgeously lush honeysuckle, with a sharp green stem underneath.

Drydown: Faint puffs of wisteria as the honeysuckle fades, but predominantly clean and green. Quite pleasant.

Dry: Mostly vegetal green, faintly floral. It's nice and unobtrusive. Definitely not what I expected.

Wet: Sea salt, a dash of driftwood.

Drydown: Masculine aquatic cologne vibe washes over the driftwood.

Dry: Salt-encrusted driftwood with occasional whiffs of the cologne. Quite lovely.

ITB: Eating gooey cookies in my step-dad's garage.

Wet: Hot metallic grease, but strangely pleasant.

Drydown: The grease  calms down. BFC gives off a good dose of baking vanilla and chocolate, but layered with a bit of masculinity. Dad is totally baking cookies for the fundraiser. It's not quite foodie, but it doesn't really smell like anything else I've ever tried. 

Aged bottle: 07/2014

Wet: Cherry blossom with flashes of ozone.

Dry: Predominantly cherry blossoms still, but with an undertone of spring scented detergent. It's weirdly still pretty, just kind of soapy.

Wet: Soft ivy trailing with sandalwood and a squirt of cucumber.

Dry: Ivy clinging close, soft and green.

Wet: A beautiful buttery pumpkin, but without the autumnal spices.

Drydown: Pumpkin with a swirl of smoke

Dry: Just a soft, buttery pumpkin for me. It's lovely and understated.

Predominantly lavender with something else vaguely floral underneath. It's soft and mellow, rather than the stronger herbal lavender I associate with scents like TKO. Very pretty and feminine.

On my skin, this dries to a muted patchouli and orange creamsicle. It's a little unusual, but also pretty.

Cool, sweet, green, and delicately feminine. Even hours later, I am getting pleasant wafts of it. 

This scent has very minimal throw, but is a delicious, mellow vetiver that is thick, dark and smoky. It last for a long time on my skin, but I tend to amp vetiver, so this is unsurprising.

Delightfully sweet peppermint dipped in vanilla. It is glorious on a hot summer day.

Wet: Dark primal forest, and a thick musk.

Dry: Ruggedly masculine, sexy pheromone-inducing lumberjack.

Wet: Bright red musk and a something that almost seems like a toasted sugared grain.

Drydown: Mostly a sweet red musk forward blend with the slight powderyness I get from dragon's blood.

Dry: Not much remains after a few hours except a sweet marshmallowy scent.

Super bright lemon verbena, with a little bit of effervescence from the champagne. It's incredibly cheerful, and hangs close to the skin.

In the Bottle (aged since 2007): Citrusy tea. Mostly citrus though.

Wet: Chrome- tipped gardenias.

Drydown: The chrome fades rather quickly, and a lush gardenia drenched in green tea blossoms out from my wrist.

Dry: Unfortunately, this doesn't last more than an hour on my skin. I loved it while it lasted.

Wet: Bright, clean snow. Cool, sweet, and remote. 

Drydown: Still gloriously snowy, with whispers of ozone, but not overwhelming.

Dry: Cool, high mountain air with tinges of snow. Very pretty.

Wet: Gardenia, with a tiny whisper of something green, but nearly entirely gardenia.

Dry: Almost purely gardenia, with something earthy grounding it slightly. Quite lovely, and now going into heavy rotation!

Wet: Vibrant guava rolled around in some sugar, with a soft dash of milk. Hello tropical pink!

Drydown: The guava tones down, and the strawberry saturates it, with a  slight milky tinge.

Dry: Just softly pink. Very lovely, but I was hoping the noisy guava would stick around longer.

Wet: Lovely tart dripping berries.

Drydown: The berries mellow, and a soft honeyed rosemary peeps in.

Dry: Herbal honey, with nary a berry in sight (or sniff).

At first, this is definitely all about the clove. The tea comes into play on the drydown, and it has a chai-esque vibe. The leather is soft, and understated. I will echo that I definitely want to see more from the leather, but this is overall a lovely clove-forward blend.

Sweet, heady red wine with a tinge of magnolia. There is a soft undercurrent of incense, but it is primarily a voluptuous red wine.

Wet: Bright peach and a lovely green floral.

Dry: Soft green tendrils and a whisper of musk.

Overall: The peach sadly was too ephemeral this time. Fae is definitely pretty, light and summery with minimal throw.

Super-aged bottle from 12/2010.

Wet: Spicy clove dominates.

Drydown: Still predominately clove, but there is a soft underlying sweet musk.

Dry: Mulling spices with something sweeter in the background. It is pleasant, but my skin always busts out the megaphone for clove.

Wet: Dark, juicy cherry. Very loud and sweet.

Drydown: Slightly softened by a vanilla cream, Yipe mellows on the drydown.

Dry: Yipe has mellowed to a whisper. It is quite lovely. 

Overall: If Yipe had more staying power with my chemistry, she would be a real contender. Unfortunately, she poofs for me in under thirty minutes. It is a lovely experience while it lasts.