AbbyNormal

This is my newest obsession! In the bottle it is very strong dirt and moss with an undercurrent of something sweet and delicious, mainly the incense, myrrh and leather. I never picked up on the balsam or parchment. Wet it is very, very dirty, like I’ve been digging in fresh soil. But when it dries? That’s when the magic happens. It does a complete 180 and all of that deliciousness that was hiding behind the dirt comes forward and takes over and the soil steps way back and just adds little pops of earthiness every now and then. I absolutely adore this and I’m so glad I blind bought a full sized bottle!

Rose is my absolute nemesis (only rose scents, I do love fresh cut roses, go figure). I almost didn’t want to even open the imp when I drew it today for the daily test, but I did and it was instant regret, just as I suspected. I didn’t even try it on because it would have been a waste of soap and scrubbing. I wish I could tolerate rose notes, and weirdly enough there actually is rose in my beloved Snekhellden, but this is just too much damned rose. Blurgh 😖

Love me absolutely did not. For me it was the most boner-killer of scents. I never got anything remotely cinnamon like, it was straight bubble gum, mothballs and halitosis for me. I tried it on anyway and the bubble gum disappeared and it was straight mothballs. I loathe mothballs. I scrubbed it off so fast my arm is now red 😖

This isn’t pumpkin rum cake, it’s straight up pumpkin kettle corn! I want to eat my arm now. Granted, I just put it on so it may morph into something more cake-like but for now it’s pure seasonal kettle corn. Not what I was expecting but I like it!

I know this smell. I don’t know why or how, but I know this smell. I’m guessing someone I knew at some point wore this and I’m remembering that, but I KNOW THIS SMELL. I ordered it just because of all of the hype and because the notes sounded right up my alley, and I’m so happy I did. All of the notes are present and however good you think this may smell, up that by at least a factor of 10 and you’ll be in the ballpark. I adore the gentle tea in this and I do pick up a hint of lemon in the tea as well, along with the vanilla, sugar and musk. Perfectly blended, powerful yet not overpowering. BUT WHY DO I KNOW THIS SMELL??? It’s going to drive me bonkers trying to figure it out.

Very green and gold smelling, and exactly like a warm summer hike. It throws a sage that’s very reminiscent of Western Diamondback, but when I go in for a closer sniff the sage is very faint and I mainly get eucalyptus, oak, and an overall wilderness scent that’s lightly sweetened by the elderberry and lilac. It’s a very California smell and I couldn’t resist blind buying a bottle just for that reason and I’m glad I did.

I don’t get anything even remotely masculine with this, it’s very strong violet with a whisper of frankincense. No cinnamon to be found anywhere. It was very overpowering both in the imp and wet, but once dried it settled down into something I don’t desperately need to scrub off. It was close there for a bit but I think I can keep this on now.

When I opened the imp it was almost pure booze, with a hint of chocolate and creaminess. But once applied it was spot on tiramisu. I still haven’t gotten any funnel cake from this, and while I’m really loving how it smells I don’t know if I can wear it again. I normally don’t have an issue with cinnamon but my arm is burning quite a bit from the small amount I swiped on, and I’m grateful that I didn’t slather more and on my neck. It smells absolutely delicious but not sure it’s worth the fire skin.

In the imp this was very sharp jasmine with the barest hint of honey and vanilla. I got a tiny bit on my finger when opening the imp and swiped that on my wrist before actually truly testing, and on my skin it turned to mothballs. It’s so mothbally that my mouth is doing that whole bitter watering, and that was after I washed it off. Normally I don’t have an issue with jasmine, but this combination just did NOT work for me.

Straight from the mailbox (I couldn’t wait) Somehow I missed this one when it first came out and it wasn’t until the Liliths were about to be pulled down that I noticed it while doing one last “do I need anything???” check. I’m so happy I was able to grab this. I was also at the Rhys Darby stand up at the Largo, and am a massive OFMD fan so an orange/velvet combo was a no brainer. I was a little concerned seeing the reviews on how harsh this is, but so far I adore it. Yes, it is very orangey, but I’m now getting flashbacks to making my 40 orange cake. I’ll update this with a proper review once it’s had time to settle from the mail shock. But I now have the perfect scent to wear with my Old Navy uniform shirt and to the SDCC meetup!

I’m not the biggest fan of florals and I loathe rose so reading the scent nots I was already apprehensive. I know there are several florals in this but to my nose it was rose, with more rose, followed by some rose, and for fun, a touch of baby powder. This is the fastest I’ve ever washed off an oil and I put on the tiniest spot possible with the imp cap. Even that tiny dot and it was throwing like it was playing for the big leagues.

Slightly over roasted almond with a cream that almost smells butterscotch-y but not, with a touch of dead leaves in the background. Very foody, but not really a food I’d want to put in my mouth. Overall it’s not bad, but there’s something here that just seems off, even though all of the elements are present and smell like they should. It’s like the almond/bourbon version of a pecan praline ice cream cone that I dropped in a gutter full of dead leaves. Now it’s just sad and covered in dried leafy bits and I don’t want to eat it anymore. *edit* There is something strangely compelling about this scent. After posting this review it started growing on me. Kind of. I’m still not entirely sure about it, but I did reapply it a couple more times that day to refresh it. There’s something very pleasant about it but also something that’s just a tiny bit off, but I can’t stop poking at/sniffing that little off bit to try to get a feel for it.

When I first sniffed the imp I mainly got plumeria with a hint of unidentifiable florals and fruit in the background. Fortunately I adore plumeria, so I thought it might work despite the rose. Wet: still mostly plumeria, with the faintest hint of pear. And then bam! ROSE! Luckily the rose toned down after a few moments, but it’s still pretty prominent, and absolutely drowning out both the plumeria and pear. I haven’t hit peak “ohgodwashitoff” levels yet, but unless it shifts or fades soon I might get to that point.

I tried this fresh from the mail when I first got it and was more than a little intimidated. It was way harsher than I expected and I wasn’t too sure, but knew it needed to rest before I made any real decision. I tested it again today and it has definitely smoothed out a lot. I get all of the listed notes, and while I was hoping for something a bit sweeter I’m still happy I bought it. In the imp: sugared patch and spice Wet: this is when the leather really comes out. I can see the comparison between this and the leather in Snekhellden, although it’s more of a feel of the leather rather than the actual leather smell. Dry: the florals from the nag champa throw a lot more than I expected which definitely brings and overall sweetness to the scent, but it’s still very patchouli forward. The clove just kind of hovers around in the background, and it becomes mainly a leathery, floral patch. It’s definitely growing on me the more I smell it, and I’ve already reapplied once. It wasn’t really fading, I just wanted to amp it back up a bit.

In the imp: it’s definitely bread-y but not gingerbread, more like a spice cake that wasn’t made with a lot of sugar and before the frosting has been added. Wet: there’s the cookie! It’d definitely a gingerbread/molasses cookie and add me to the list of people picking up a touch of peanut butter. There’s also something else here that I can’t place and I keep sniffing to try to figure it out. I normally don’t react to the oils but a spot on my neck is feeling a bit burny. Not bad enough yet to do anything about it, but definitely burny. Dry: the ginger bite tones down and it becomes a lot softer overall. I still can’t place the mystery scent underneath it all, but it still smells so hauntingly familiar.