squirrelmonkey

One of my favorite moons -- yogurt smoothie and fruit; very prominent fig and pomegranate. There are few things I like better than fresh fig, and this smell captures the figgy goodness perfectly. As it dries, I see where the Pina Colada comparison comes from -- milk acquires a definite coconutey character. Still, delicious.

Creamcheese frosting -- sweetness with a tang, and absolutely delicious. Amazing lasting power too -- well over 8 hours since last application and still going strong, even though it settles into a dryer, more cakey smell after a couple of hours. Yum.

Oh, Mme Moriarty, I so wanted to love you -- especially after all the rave reviews and popping up on so many must-have lists. In the bottle it is indeed lovely, with hints of plum and a dark, complex floral component. Unfortunately, the moment it touches my skin the patchouli leaf comes out and plunders, pillages, and kills all other notes, decapitating some. After a few minutes of violent if entertaining bloodshed, nothing is left but the triumphant patchouli, which I cannot stand but which perversely loves me (much like a cat who picks out the lap of a person with cat allergies). Alas.

Thanks to zankoku_zen, adopter and enabler, I tried this one. Wouldn't have done it on my own as lavender usually ends up waaaaay too strong on me. Here, however, it is tempered by dry cocoa note and a hint of vanilla, so it starts out soft and disappears quickly. Vetiver takes its place, giving the scent a nice complexity and a hint of darkness. Lovely; need bottle.

This is one of my favorite snakes -- I love the ho wood note in this, it's very strong and dry, and perfectly balanced by sharp green bamboo. I expected it to be sweeter, but I don't get much sweetness out of it. Wood and bamboo alternately recede and come to the forefront, and I keep getting whiffs of both. After 3+ hours the bamboo fades and the wood remains as a tiny whisper along with the calm, subdued snake oil. Normally, I don't wear woody smells, mostly because they end up evergreen-like on me, but teak and ho are wonderful.

Oh, this is nice! Very fresh scent, both wet and dry -- berry and something fresh and green, like crushed dandelion stems. I don't smell snake oil per se in this, although after a few hours of wear vanilla and cardamom come out a bit more, sweetening the berry freshness. A perfect summer scent; very glad I got a bottle of it.

Generally, I don't wear rose as it turns to soap on me -- although I do very much enjoy the rose scent. In case of Hope, sugar somehow prevents the soapiness, so the rose stays true on my skin, a bit sweet but very delicate and pleasant. Very nice!

It seems thaht it behaves much the same way on many folks, myself included. It goes from very deep cocoa scent (wet) to more snake oil with chocolate on drydown. Cocoa subsides quickly but lingers in a subtle way. Teakwood comes out later on, so it's more than snake oil -- cocoa and teak give it a nice spicy and distinctive character. Excellent!

This is for 2004 version.

Wow. This smells just like freshly baked gingerbread cookies still warm from the oven. The scent doesn't morph at all, and stays the same in the bottle, wet and dry. It also lasts a good while -- 4 hours at least. Incredibly delicious.

My biggest disappointment to date. In the vial, it smelled just like rose oil exported from Bulgaria -- pure unadulterated rose oil, gorgeous! The moment it touched my skin it turned into evil soap -- the unscented kind, with extra lye. Not a hint of rose remaining. Time to start looking for rose oil again.

Mmmm... Pumkin Patch 2....

Bottle: Pumpkin! This is a bit scary in its pumpkin power.

Wet: Pumpkin and cocoa -- very warm and tasty. Which is weird, because I do not like to eat pumpkin, but in this blend it is wonderful.

Dry: Pumpkin calms down and cocoa grows stronger, and wow, nuts! Warm caramelized nuts with chocolate and just a hint of pumpkin. This is by far my favorite of all pumpkin blends... for now, at least.

This is 2006 version.

In the bottle: Caramel!

Wet: Caramel and something spicy and heady -- opium?

Dry: Caramel subsides somewhat but hangs in the background. Tobacco becomes prominent -- but this is blond expensive pipe tobacco that smells more of spices than cigarettes. Opium gives it this heady sweetness, but is not really prominent.

Overall: love love love! Sweet and exotic and wonderful. It has a caramel foodiness to it, but it is offset by the spicy gorgeousness. If this is what opium dens smell like, I need to find me one.

Tonka-wise, I also think Old Scratch is a good one to try -- on me, it's tonka with a hint of patchouli. Seems like a good masculine scent.

In the bottle: nuts and brown sugar

Wet: nuts and brown sugar

Drydown: A hint of smoke comes through, with just a tad of pine, but nutty sweetness dominates. Good throw, and lasts a good while; doesn't morph much after it's dry. Definitely a very foody blend. I didn't get any butter, just sweet chestnuts with a hint of resiny pine. Definitely a keeper -- perhaps not for every day, but for winter when I want to be reminded of crackling fire and delicious seasonal favorites. Apt name!

On the wand: tea! Nice Darjeling black tea with no sugar

Wet: the tea sweetens a bit (vanilla?), and a crisp note comes in that reminded me of fresh laundry. Must be the linen.

Drydown: ginger becomes more apparent, and tea grows sweeter (bit not very sweet) and milkier -- ah, here's the cream note. Stays very true until it disappears fairly quickly. But tea+ginger+linen remain. Very nice. Not sure it's bottle-worthy, but will be keeping the imp.

In the bottle: tangerine

Wet: tangerine and cinnamon and sweet tea

Dry: amber comes out -- a wonderful warm amber, followed closely by tea. Tangerine and cinnamon linger but retreat to the background. I don't get any florals, but musk appears. After half an hour, I can't tell the notes -- everything blends into this warm comforting deliciousness. It is definitely a catlike smell -- reminds me of my Aja as she purrs in my lap and looks up wil those large golden eyes. Just beautiful.

Wet and dry: caramel popcorn. yes, it's buttery and popcorny, but caramel is very prominent on my skin. Foody deliciousness! Not sure I would wear it a lot, but sniffing the vial? Oh yes.

In the bottle: faint snake oil with something extra. I just got a bottle and prepared for a major disappointment.

Wet: Snake oil with a bit of musk and strong vanilla.

Dry: oh, this is so glorious! Not a strong scent, but a very complex one. Among the snaky spiciness, there are wiffs of vanilla and coconut, and amber gives this blend such a smooth and deep character. It lasts hours.

I'm always a bit worried that a popular scent won't live up to the hype, but this one certainly did. The only scent so far I feel comfortable slathering.

In the bottle: toothache-inducing sweetness and cotton candy

Wet: Funnel Cake!

Dry: More funnel cake!

Oh man, this is so good. I smell mostly funnel cake and sugar, with occasional whiffs of caramel. This is such a pleasant, comforting scent -- it reminds me of a bakery rather than a carnival, because it is so wholesome. This is a good scent to wear to bed or at home on rainy days, or just when down in the dumps. This is immensely happy and cheering.

My favorite Salon so far! Lovely vanilla and caramel scent, with just a hint of patchouli. Usually, patchouli is a "NoooOOOOoooo!!!!" note for me, as it amps beyond all reason and smothers everything else, but here it behaves, providing just a touch of darkness in the heart of this foody sweet delicious heaven.

In the bottle, wet and dry: stayed remarkably constant -- honey and vanilla with just a hint of ambery warmth. I really love it -- got a bottle in a swap without trying it first, and it works amazingly well. I wouldn't describe it as sexy -- it's a warm golden summery scent that brings to mind beehives and July afternoons and lazing about because it's too hot to do anything else.

Pipe Tobacco sex -- Red Lantern 2006 was definitely that on me. Got very little caramel or opium, but tobacco is divine.

Grapefruit - Cheshire Cat. Wonderful grapefruit with depth and staying power.

I'm still looking for the ultimate benzoin scent. Any recs?

In the vial: Creamy chocolate, but not at all sweet. Just unprocessed cocoa butter and cream.

Wet: Same as in the vial, but it gets bigger and richer -- it just blooms. Cream is coming out more, and there's a hint of sweetness.

Dry: Disappeared quickly, and required additional slathering. After slathering, cream stayed but cocoa butter turned into cocoa powder -- it has an almost bitter, dusty undertaste. It's very pleasant and rich. One of my CD faves.

(First review, so)

In the vial: Eat Me, with caramel.

Wet: snake oil and caramel. Very spicy and sweet, but the buttery note disappeared.

Dry: Initially, it's sweet Snake Oil, but the longer I wear it, the more I get a perfect golden honey note. I don't get Cockaigne vibe from it, which was all wine, just a little cake on me. This is so golden and rich and oh, so smooth.

I was really hoping not to like it, since I only have a drop in the tester, and am not likely to ever see more. But this is gorgeous. If it ever becomes available in 5 ml, I'll be very very happy.

I also vote for Dirty and Embalming Fluid. Also, Thunder Moon smells very fresh to me, almost sporty.