deadlyves

I didn't love this when I first got it. Now, a few months later, it's much more what I was hoping for. Though I think it might have just been me, because what I get now matches up a lot more with what folks have described above. It's a fresh, green tomato leaf with a gentle spice of pepper that really just accentuates the fresh feeling, but then there is an added warm underlayer of hay that really makes this shine for me. I think the hay is coming out more now than when I first got it, it seems a bit softer and less sharp. All in all, just fresh and herby with fairly good throw.

This shifts a bit on me at first but settles into a sweet, clean scent without getting too sweet. There's a bit more body from the musk and honey, a warm bright glow with a soft vanilla. The sugar is there adding a crystally sweetness, but again it never gets syrupy or overwhelming. It's calm, sweet, and nice. I've layered it with a few other RPGs, and I agree it goes well with Chaotic. I'll have to retest some of the other combos because I can't remember what stuck out. I've also layered it with High John the Conqueror which was wonderful, and I'm looking forward to layering this with other things.

Starts as an almost sharp herbally lavender and a hint of snow. After a while, it sweetens a bit more and gets a bit creamier and I can't tell if it's the bourbon vanilla or the amber or both. Neither show up horribly strong in a way that id be able to identify but they are definitely at play. It does soften and become a bit more complex, but remains lavender forward on me. It's calm, light, and has a soft glow. Even though I can't quite make out the notes individually, it's definitely different from my other lavender/snow blends. More herbal, less sweet though the vanilla is there, and more mature.

This is, up front, all smoke and mahogany. Smoke always does funny things on me, but I like it in this blend. The combo comes off as incensey, but fuzzes up with whatever the fur is as it sits. This gets more mellow and more cozy the longer it's on, and I dig it. I can't pick out anything I'd identify as chai, but it easily could be blending with that smoky, woodsy, coziness. I was surprised but happy with how this one!

I really want to love this one, but it just doesn't work on me 😕 Wet, it is very close to going plastic-y, and even once it dries and that fades, it still has an undertone that threatens to do it. But generally it stays in a thick, fluffy, mellow vanilla. I get all blanket, maybe some au lait, and no café. I had hoped with age the coffee would come out more, but it hasn't. Maybe it's time to play with some layering options. Anyway, it's still rather pleasant, just not what I had hoped for.

Testing from an imp of unknown age. Nice and mossy, earthy, but somewhat bright from the juniper. The myrrh and patchouli are there, but neither are overpowering on me. It's kind of dark, a little dirty, but fresh and reminds me of sitting on the ground in the forest.

I agree with what's above about a sugary lemony tree! After a year of aging, though, a bit more of the other woods are coming out dimming the brightness of the verbena. Still yellow, but darker, and less fir than before. It seems more like the description of a "liquid moon gliding through gaunt branches" now, whereas before it got stuck in lemony sugary candy forest for me.

I mostly just get a smoky, tobacco leather. There's a slight creaminess added from the amber. Perhaps I'm picking up the opoponax, too, but I can't say I'm any good at picking that one out. I like it, but perhaps more for other people than for me.

In the imp, I cannot stand the smell of this. Overly sweet honey something or other. Good thing I've heard a lot about this one or else I wouldn't have tried it. That sickeningly sweet smell goes away almost immediately and it dries into a simple but wonderfully pleasant beeswax with the faintest smoke. Really lovely, close to the skin, fairly neutral blend.

In the imp and wet on the skin, Cockaigne is heavy on the sweet cakes, creamy with the milk, but with something darker to ground it. Dry, I get the nice pastry smell but it's no longer taking over. Instead it's balanced with a drizzle of honey and the dark hint of wine. It dries as a very dark gold smell. This reminds me a bit of Athens, but I think I like this one better with that cooled crumbly pastry added in

Dry fir with a bit of bark and a slight sweetness from the berry. This is dry and powdery in a good way, a really nice comforting way, soft and full. I love this, it's such a natural smell. Unfortunately it doesn't last long on me at all but you can bet I'm reapplying.

I got a sniffie of this with a testable amount left, so I decided to try it. Its pretty much a straightforward green apple and resins scent. There's something about it that comes across as a lightly woody undertone. It's pretty, and even better as the apple fades a bit. I think the pear is there tightly woven with the apple, too, adding some of that green. It's reviving a particular scent memory that is probably coloring my interpretation some and making it hard for me to say much else about it, but I'm glad I gave it a test!

This is straight up blueberry pie or maybe blueberry cobbler, though there's not really any crunch to it. Fresh but baked (probably because of the cardamom) blueberries, a sweet cream, and that lovely cardamom smell that makes things smell like a baked good. It's strong and lasts a long time, too!

Testing from a lab fresh imp. Just give me anything that's yuzu and grapefruit I guess! This has the nice citrusy smell softened by the flowers, just fresh and nice. I'm not sure what kumquat smells like, so not sure how it's influencing things. This sits somewhere between Snow Moon, which is softer, and Grapefruit, Yuzu and White Musk, which is sharper. I agree that it's dry and not wet/juicy. All in all, I really like it! If I didn't already have Grapefruit, Yuzu, and White Musk, I'd probably go for some of this.

Wet, this is sharper and sweeter than I expected but it's dark, too. For some reason this is reminding me of something foodie and I can't pinpoint what, something dark cranberry colored, sweet, and spiced on top of the resinous smell I was expecting. Dry, it's more the dark gold color I expected, with something almost smoky. A thick (buttery was a good word) woodsy honey beeswax smell