ralenth

Deep, thickened mulled wine. It's luscious and spicy. I'm not a huge fan of the original Blood Kiss, but the added spiciness is intriguing.

Initially, it's a caramel drizzled popcorn ball, but as time wears on, it mellows to a slightly sweet, buttery popcorn. It's weirdly intriguing, and not as foody as you might expect. 

Sharp, crisp green apple, dipped in burnt sugar. As it dries, the caramel wraps around it, with just a hint of muskiness from the snake oil. 

Oh my. I definitely agree that it's like a sweeter Boomslang, but dialed to 11. This would definitely satisfy any chocolate cravings you might have, but try not to lick your arm.  

Source: Decant from zankoku_zen

Wet: Bright aquatic with leathery undertones.

Drydown: Wafts of a foody, almost cakey note. The bright aquatic persists, but as it dries further, a delicious black leather note begins to dominate.

Dry: Oil splattered old leather jacket, with that strange flirtation of a keening aquatic aftershave.

Overall: It isn't easy for me to identify Snake Oil in this blend, but it is still a pleasant leather experience. 

Wet: Vanilla bean drenched in a soft musk.

Drydown: It almost smells like mallow. Celeste remains musky and sweetly flecked vanilla bean. As it dries further, the blend becomes more softly feminine in its muskiness. It's simultaneously genteel and seductive.

Dry: Pleasantly sweet vanilla without being too foody. There are occasional tinges of a soft floral, but Celeste remains primarily a vanilla-centric blend.

Wet: Sweet orange and sticky rice.

Drydown: As it dries, it remains a cheerful buoyant citrus, but is underscored by a soft resin.

Dry: An hour later, it has morphed into cat pee. How sad!

Wet: Dark, grassy vetiver over a bed of fallen leaves. I see the comparison to Gore Shock, as this feels like a very similar vetiver note, but without the less appealing aspects of Gore Shock.

Drydown: A smokiness manifests on the drydown, but it is still dominated by vetiver. It almost has a sooty coal quality to it for a bit, but then slides back into a more smoky feel.

Dry: A pleasantly subtle smoky vetiver with whispers of a sweet vanilla. This definitely is a lovely marriage between the fallen leaves note, and the vetiver, but isn't overly aggressive or masculine. It definitely smells like autumn.

Wet: Deliciously, dark vetiver.

Drydown: Vetiver is still dominant, but as it dries, red roses burgeon underneath, swelling into the dark crevices. There is a brief flash of a powdery note, but it dissipates quickly.

Dry: A lovely blend of vetiver and rose. Normally, red rose and I aren't friendly, but this is quite lovely.

Initially, Pink Mood is very much straight up anise, but it softens over time. Dry, it is a delicate pink floral wrapped over black jellybeans.

Wet: Cool frosted jasmine tinged by earthy carrot seed.

Drydown: The earthiness subsides, and I am left with an icy, almost ozone-wrapped jasmine.

Dry: Mellow sweet jasmine. The overall impression is very light, and sweet, with tinges of a chilliness.

Wet: Sagey lavender with tinges of vetiver.

Drydown: Juicy blackberry takes over. The sage curls around the edges, and there is a hint of smoke.

Dry: Soft, slightly smoky blackberry with hints of sage.

Overall: This is pleasant and sweet without being overly foody.

Wet: Dark dusty resins with tinges of sweetness.

Drydown: As it dries, cedar dominates, but then the rose sidles out. She is a classic red rose, which turns green and thorny with my skin chemistry.

Dry: Beauty smells like a more feminine take on a Western. Tobacco and cedar sawdust on the floor interplay with the rose.

Wet: Juicy petitgrain with tinges of vetiver.

Drydown: As it dries, the vetiver comes to the fore. This is a sweeter, more tempered vetiver than in the Haitian Vetiver SN from fall 2012. The are bright flashes of the orangey petitgrain. There is a little bit of the currant peeking though as time goes on.

Dry: Softly orange with vetiver intertwined. The vanilla is faint, rounding out the scent. The throw is minimal.

Overall impressions: Three French Hens is nicely balanced. Vetiver and I are often friends, but I don't find it overpowers this blend at all. Three French Hens is slightly sweet without being overly foody. I think this could be a good gateway to vetiver if you're curious.

Wet: Lusciously fruity and sweet with a hint of crushed petals. No distinct notes jump out at me here.

Drydown: A little plummy, and tinges of violet. Lots of unindentified notes are still swirling in the mix.

Dry: A softly floral dusky plum.

Overall: Quite pretty, though not my usual style.

Wet: Frankincense and rose.

Drydown: As she dries, the jasmine swirls into the mix. It gets spicier as time passes, which must be the cinnamon coming into play. The frankincense mellows, and the rose all but disappears as it develops.

Dry: Muted frankincense with soft blooms of jasmine. There are still tinges of spiciness. The throw is minimal.

Jasmine dominates, but honeysuckle and creaminess round the blend out. Headily feminine. About thirty minutes after application, a sour milk note peeks through, but it settles back down to sweet cream about another fifteen minutes. An hour after application, Eostre is a soft cream with a hint of floral. There is no trace of the initial brazen jasmine.

I loved the wet and drydown stages on my skin, but dry Eostre would make a perfectly inoffensive, feminine office scent. I wish she had stayed a little more "Hello, Miss Jasmine and Honeysuckle." Her final phase reminds me a lot of Nonae Caprotina, but with a soft floral instead of fig and myrrh.

Soft, beautiful balance of beeswax and ho wood. It feels almost floral with a tinge of myrrh.

On me, Ghost Houses is mostly magnolia with a tinge of dewy grass. It is soft, sweet, and lovely.

Bottle: Sweet red wine with hints of vetiver.

Wet: Vetiver sweetened slightly by hints of the wine in the background.

Drydown: The balance shifts, and the wine hums softly, underscored by hints of resinous musk and a teensy bit of vetiver. Come back, vetiver, come back.

Dry: Soft, and faintly boozy wine. Very little of my friends, resin and vetiver, to speak of here. Pretty, but ultimately not me.

Bottle: Fruity sweetness that is reminiscent of Fun Dip.

Wet: Grape and bubble gum candy floss. Tooth achingly sweet.

Drydown: A sort of light candied floral. This is hard to pin down, but it is sweet, and wispy. Very light, and hugs the skin closely.

Dry: It's almost a candied sweetpea. Delicate, and innocent.

Bottle: Ethereal aquatic, with underlying cool greenery.

Wet: Pale florals and soft aquatic. If mist could be distilled, it might smell like this.

Drydown: As she dries, the green notes bell out, and a hint of musk and stone peep out from the mists. The musk grows warm, and furry (like a feminine Rat Speakers), and then calms down again.

Dry: Reminds me of Danube a bit, but a muskier older sister who has a thing for marble.

Overall: Unfortunately, Sarah makes me sneeze. She is lovely, but she will have to go live elsewhere.

Aged since 11/2011.

Bottle: Intense resinous floral.

Wet: Aggressive, yet feminine.

Drydown: She gets sweeter on the drydown, but the predominant notes are a visceral musk and amber-tinged vanilla.

Dry: Sweet, complex, but completely gorgeous. It is reminscent of blending Clockwork Couture: Male and Clockwork Couture: Female together.

Bottle: Warm, muted resins with a vegetal tinge.

Wet: Reminscent of Rat Speakers, but rolled around in some jungle foliage. Warm, snuggly.

Drydown: It barrels straight down Powder Lane. It's a musky powder, but still a powder.

Dry: Achievement unlocked: baby powder single note.

Bottle: Peppery soft musk.

Wet: Straight up spicy peppercorns. Achievement unlocked: secret pepper single note.

Drydown: The peppercorns dissipate rather quickly, leaving behind a soft skin musk with hints of basalm and a faint pepperiness.

Dry: The end result is a sweet muskiness that clings to the skin with a teensy bit of spice. This is much nicer than I was expecting from its initial stages.