skyturtles

I've had this for a hot minute and just realized that I hadn't reviewed it. I purchased a bottle of it used, lightly tested. It took me awhile to appreciate it, honestly. It starts off very latte-heavy, which can be a turn off for people who don't like coffee (hi). However, as it dries down, there's some snake oil and a little bit of spice that mellow it all out. There's not a whole lot of pumpkin, imo. For me, I see this less of a autumn scent and more of a winter scent, due to its warmth. It's cozy like your favorite sweater. My favorite part is after it's dried down for a long while, it's this elegant rich snake oil essence that you can't get enough of.

I really like this. The only other one in this series that I've tried is the Robotic Scarab, which I liked so much I purchased a bottle. I may have to do the same thing here for Mechanism. If you have read A Dead Djinn in Cairo, or A Master of Djinn, THIS is the scent of that world. It is steampunk, it is ancient, it is mechanical, it is sacred. I haven't dabbled in too many teak-prominent blends before, and I like what it's doing here. The tobacco doesn't take over like I find that it often does, and the vanilla gives it just a little bit of sweetness. I'm sorry, did I say little? Because as it dries, it almost goes gourmand - not complaining though! I'm going to be obsessing over this lab fresh frimp before I make the big bottle decision.

It's just... floral. A lily, I guess. Yay flowers. Passing this fresh lab frimp along to someone else.

I enjoy "incense," but I'm just not getting that smokey goodness from El Dorado. It comes off as quite leathery, actually. Not in a good way to my own tastes. I must not be a big fan of copal. Passing this fresh lab frimp along!

They hit the nail with this one. It's wet, mossy, rich soil, rotting wood, after a rain. As it dries it gets a little more floral. I would love to have soap that smells like this honestly. But as a perfume? I'm just not sure. I can see the resemblance to Zombi. It's quite sharp to the nose, and that aspect seems to only increase as time goes on. I wish it weren't so, and the dark mystery of the forest would shine. (fresh~ LAP FRIMP)

Ooo, this is different. It reminds me of a sexy, expensive soap. (in a good way.) There is no sweetness, and very little woodiness. It is earthy for sure, with just a touch of green. It is dry but not burning. The black plum tea gives it just enough fruitiness to round out the spiciness of the pepper and nutmeg. Warm without being cozy. Reminds me of sandalwood for a strange reason, and I say strange because I don't like sandalwood but I do like this. Keeper! (lap frimp btw!)

Much lotus, much rose. Such floral. Sweeet. Not for me, it's a pass! (wow I've run out of words today)

Fresh from the lab frimp! I'm not sure if it matters but I gave everything a few days to "settle." Persephone screams ROSE. That's all I'm getting, and it's a bitter crisp rose, rather than a dusty powder rose. On the dry down, I get a hint of the juiciness that others rave about. I can only smell it when I'm not trying to, if that makes sense. I wish there was more of it, though, because the rose is beginning to nauseate me. If I sniff my wrist directly, all I get is that rose punch in the nose. I'll be passing this along!

Woah, this is not what I was expecting. First of all, not as floral as you'd think from a scent that has a flower in the name. Second, it is subtle and not in your face; I feel like I had to apply a lot to my wrists to fully appreciate the notes. It is acceptable for everyday, even office environment stuff. Not too dark, but definitely resinous. Dry and sandy, and as time goes by, a little smokey. This does invoke images of ancient Egypt for me. Impressive. Unfortunately I'm not a huge fan of sandalwood, but this is very well blended I believe.

Titania is fruity and floral very sweet and reminds me of middle school and department stores. It's not terrible but it is not for me. I'll be passing along this imp of unknown age. The longer it dries the more I want to cover it up with something musky or resinous.

I absolutely agree that this starts off pencil-shavingly sharp. There's just a hint of clove cigarette, the ghost of Christmas cedar, and a ritual older than recorded history. I purchased this as a gift for someone else and it breaks my heart that I must give it away. I really do like it. It's almost gourmand. Damn, I can't stop sniffing myself.

Something in this makes me think of artificial flavors in the late 90s/early 2000s. I can't quite put my finger on it. It's sweet and floral, kind of like Lolita, but better. At this point, I have not looked at the listed notes, and am blind-reviewing in a way. This strikes me as a spring- time, Easter scent. It's not for me, but it is pleasant. Edit: Daisies and sugar? Yep, definitely early naughts.

This imp is so old that it has begun to crystallize! It is resinous for sure, but also sweet. There is cinnamon & spices being sold in a desert market. And yet I'm getting a hint of pine as it dries... This is nice but not nice enough to be a keeper for me. More of a spice cabinet than a perfumery.

I purchased this as a gift, but had to try it out before letting it go. This is not something I would have ever purchased for myself, despite its name. The white tea is crisp and the cherry blossom is soft, coming together to create not-green yet not-floral purity. The amber and cashmere tie it all together with some warmth and complexity. It's nice and clean, just not my cup.

Wow. This is woody and resinous and addicting. Not notes I would usually fall for upon first glance, but I am on a quest to experience all of the OLLA blends. This is in my top 3 favorites so far, behind Blood Popsicle and In Templum Dei. This is nothing like those, and yet it is so, so OLLA. It is old, rich, complex, sacred, mysterious, comforting, warm. Like I said, I don't know enough about the individual notes here, so it's hard for me to pinpoint them. This is a keeper for sure, and I'm so glad I took a chance on this bottle.

Okay, wow, this is actually really nice. I haven't enjoyed most of the RPGs that I've tried so far, so my expectations were low. Elf exceeds. It's clean and fresh, yet woodsy and magical. I am not concerned about wearing it in a conservative work environment, yet I'm not betraying my own interests. All of the notes blend together expertly. I think I can smell the violet and lily, but it's not overwhelmingly floral. The musk is not sensual or dirty. The moss is not nauseating. The honeycomb and berry are not coyingly sweet. This is a keeper.

This is the fourth VDSA bottle I've purchased, and so far, it's my favorite blend of the series. It's also the only time that I've liked something with Spanish moss in it, I think! It's probably because lilac is my favorite floral scent ever. This is scent is very Anne Rice. It's a southern-U.S., aristocratic, removed from the modern age type of feel. The abandoned house that has fineries inside decaying away, and the gardens outside have grown wild with blooms. A hint of the romantic, a seduction of mystery. Lounge on the faded loveseat, and sleep forever.

I have an imp of unknown age that appears to be untested. It is obviously a floral upon first sniff, but sweet and candied. I am to assume that is the cherry coming through. It's not unpleasant. As it dries, it gets a little powdery, though. Just a tad old ladyish - not the musty recliner unhappy kind of old lady, but more like the sun hat-wearing, working in the garden kind of old lady. As usual, florals are not my thing.

What a pleasant surprise! A received a decant of this for free and tried it out without knowing what it held. I love red musk blends and most things that have pumpkin are a win as well. The brimstone reminds me a bit of The Chapel, which is my scent for when I'm feeling demonic and badass. There's not too much sugar, so I wouldn't call this a sweet blend per say. It's autumny due to the pumpkin but I think this would be wearable year round. I wouldn't say no to a bottle!

I don't remember how I got this imp. I don't know how old it is. I'm not even sure how long this has been discontinued for. The first whiff is woody, like sandalwood. The vetiver is strong. It is very much like a leather scent. It's masculine and slightly spicy. My nose begins to burn if I continue to sniff it. I would never wear this myself but can imagine it being popular among the race of Men in Middle-Earth.

Soft and sweet. A feminine spring scent. Cutesy floral with cotton candy. Not unpleasant, but not what I gravitate toward. Passing this imp of unknown age on to someone else. Something in this makes me think of artificial flavors in the late 90s/early 2000s. I can't quite put my finger on it. It's kind of like Lolita, but better. At this point, I have not looked at the listed notes, and am blind-reviewing in a way. This strikes me as a spring- time, Easter scent. It's not for me, but it is pleasant. Edit: Daisies and sugar? Yep, definitely early naughts.

I did not like this. I have an imp of unknown age. It comes off quite leathery to me, which is not a scent I enjoy at all. I do get the murky aquatics. It leans masculine in my opinion. I will pass this on to someone else.

This is... interesting. It reminds me of the buttered popcorn jelly belly flavor. It's sweet, but buttery. I don't really get a lot of cinnamon, honestly. It's a pretty neat scent, surprisingly unfloral despite the description. Though I find it intriguing, it's not something I think I would grab on a regular basis. Therefore I am going to pass this imp of unknown age on to someone else. It's a win, just not a win for me. EDIT: I've tried another imp, also of an unknown age, and WHAM there's the cinnamon! Dunno what happened to the first one. I actually really like it now. Yes, the cinnamon is a little plasticky/candy-like, but the butter creaminess lends to the spice. I think I'll keep this one, at least!

I. Love. This. It has been my go-to imp for weeks now, and I'm probably going to have to purchase a bottle. ("oh no!" screams my wallet) It's sweet incense, glamorous and glittering musk. When I look at the notes, it's no wonder I love it, since it has some of my favorite notes of all time: red musk, vanilla, strawberry, cherry... I'm not a huge fan of amber so I'm glad that I don't get a lot of that here. If anything, it keeps the fruits from becoming too syrupy. The heliotrope adds an extra dimension of complexity but does not overwhelm. YUM ❤️

Clean, aquatic, salty. Reminds me of men's cologne or soap. It gets nicer as it dries, but I'm still not really a fan. (Imp of unknown age)