fairnymph

Sniffed in imp: Gritty, pungent, smoky vetiver over plasticky leather. Revolting!

Sniffed in imp: Very sweet, butter-foody caramel with a hint of spiced rum.

Dark amber coloured oil. Bright, fresh, sweet and almost foody, musky, herbal and just really complex and compelling. I get the mandarin, tonka, black tea, cocoa, tobacco and red musk most with a little bit of saffron, though it's smoother here than it often is. Fruitier - the mandarin really explodes on my skin, and I'm positive one of the herbs is verbena, adding a bright lemony boost. I get more verbena than mandarin, in fact. The tonka is a less heavy and rich and cloying; it seems to blend with the cocoa here to make a sweetened chocolate note that's distinctly foody. The black tea is amped too, strongly brewed but very clean and fresh, with the typical pine and citrus overtones. Tobacco too is stronger, but it's such a smooth, sweet note - almost foody - that it too sort of blends with the tonka/cocoa rather than standing out much. Saffron and red musk hold. Verbena still has a virtual death grip on this blend - yes, I can smell all that I described underneath it, but it requires effort and proximity - from half a foot away it's 90% Lemon Pledge of Doom. The tonka now seems to blend with it more, making for a lemon hard candy effect. I also get more of the slightly mentholic saffron, though it's still very smooth. The tonka is surprisingly nice, really much more like vanilla, sweet and quite creamy and not too cloying or buttery as I feared form sniffing it in the imp. That verbena just amps and amps. I'm left with slightly tonka-sweetened LEMON PLEDGE VERBENA with some mentholic-medicinal red musk over a smooth, well-blended and balanced - but woefully overwhelmed and thus extremely faint - base of tea, saffron, cocoa and tobacco. This could be SO GOOD if verbena didn't ruin it, and the mandarin weren't totally absorbed by said villain. Very strong throw and good longevity. I hate you, bully verbena!

Sniffed in imp: Sweet incense.

Sniffed in imp: Very sweet, floral incense-resiny. Frankincense overload.

Sniffed in imp: Spicy, warm, and golden. Slightly sweet. Musk, amber, cinnamon and saffron.

In the bottle: Golden oil. Bright citrusy floral. Lemon, carnation, and iris with a bit of musk. It's the same iris note from Black Pearl. The carnation is very creamy and soft, the lemon juicy. Wet: Lemon, iris, white musk. This is really a lemony, coconutless Black Pearl. It's a lovely true lemon note. Iris is a tad powdery, sort of velvety. Less carnation, sadly. I don't get any honeysuckle. Dry: Much of the lemon has dissipated, and more of the white musk has emerged. It's pretty much white musk/iris at this point. Very simple, but also very elegant and feminine. Later: Um...it smells oddly like Comet? Yeah, that cleaning powder you sprinkle for scrubby bathtub. Not bad, but strange! I presume it's the iris going more powdery. Summary: Clean, powdery iris with a bit of juicy lemon, rich white musk, and some creamy carnation very faintly in the distance. Feminine and lovely. Dismal throw and longevity, though.

Sniffed in imp: Sweet, soapy, heady flowers. Strong on the jasmine and rose. Jasmine AND vanilla? *hides in terror*

Sniffed in imp: Sweet, dry, and woody; a little smoky. Cedar, frankincense, something citrus, vetiver. Very jumbled and jarring, and not at all my sort of thing.

Sniffed in imp: Fresh pine, tinged with smoke.

Sniffed in imp: Colourless oil. Sassafras and dirt (???). Also sort of sharp and musky. Manly and a little cologney.. Wet: Wow, this is fierce. Still oddly sharp and herbal, but yes, it smells like polished high-quality leather. The sharpness works, mood-wise. Dry: This smells like cocaine, specifically CA cocaine that still has that nasty solvent (kerosene?) residue. I guess De Sade likes to get jacked? Summary: Chemically-solventy, sharp, biting. I can't shake how *exactly* it smells like west coast coke,which is not something I want to smell like. Good throw, exellent longevity. I've smelled leather in other blends, on my skin, and it's often a weird plasticky scent I don't particularly like, and while I don't like this either, it's different.

Sniffed in imp: Sweet and smokey, with a dirt-earth background. Definitely some vanilla, and maybe some vetiver. Not sure what's giving the earth-smell. Bizarre!

Sniffed in imp: Sweet and sharp, with resin and woods. Definitely getting strong cypress and then frankincense, with a touch of oakmoss. Too sweet and lacking floral or fruity notes, but could be delicious on a man.

Sniffed: Peachy-orange oill. Strong, dusty floral. Dirt and incense, some sharp plant notes, traditional florals. Jasmine for sure. Wet: Jasmine amping majorly, as well as something sweet, almost honeyed, and some creamy magnolia and heady ylang-ylang, less sharp/planty, but still a strong soil note. A touch of herbal soap. Dry: The soil has amped like crazy, as has the honeyed note, which I strongly suspect it benzoin. Ylang ylang is the dominant floral now, and I can pick out a little moss and maybe some incensey amber (very light). Later: This becomes nicer and nicer on my skin, oddly. The magnolia comes to the fore and blends beautifullly with the benzoin, and the soil note settles into the moss for an earthy base. The greenery loses its sharpness. Summary: Final drydown brings out something rotten - IRIS! - over a mingling creamy magnolia, rich ylang ylang and slightly soap jasmine, mixed with wet leaves, soil, and faded benzoin. Smells funereal to me. Good throw & longevity.

Light peachy-orange oil. Sweet, rich and foody. Buttery, creamy sweetness, lots of dripping honey, some lovely intense honeysuckle, and warm spicy cinnamon. Not as fiery or as incensey as I anticipated - really foody! More cinnamon, so spicier, but it's not quite red hots. Still extremely sweet and foody. Definitely some tonka and vanilla in this. The honeysuckle note here is gorgeous and true without any hint of soap or powder, and is devoid of any typically negative floral characteristics. It's like it's a foody floral not. I get a little hint of smoky/dusty myrrh, though its bitterness is totally smothered by the sweetness of this blend, and moreso some spicy-smoky copal. This is not morphing much, and most surprisingly, the cinnamon isn't amping into super spicy red hots and taking over the blend. This is still really foody and sweet and rich, in a definite baked goods type of way - and I am getting a little hint of the odd musty powdery effect I get in the later drydown of many baked good scents - even though this is still very wet. I don't think this oil will ever dry, but it's evolving as if it were drying anyway, with that musty/powdery baked goods effect growing. The creamy sweetness and cinnamon - and the way this cinnamon note behaves so nicely - makes this blend remind me a lot of the prototype St.Lucia. This isn't anything I'd consider floral at this point, either, and is more about sugar than honey. And the copal is very light and the myrrh only a tiny bit of sort of soot - not an incensey blend despite the notes. Still not dry, but it not longer seems to be changing. It has settled fairly quickly into a sightly musty very foody blend full of vanilla and tonka to impart that sweet, creaminess to some sort of baked good, maybe a custard tart, with some warm cinnamon sprinkled on top - in fact the cinnamon even becomes a little LESS spicy-hot and more just warm and sweet, with a little bit of honey syrup (reminds me a bit of Baklava, and there's a nuttiness here too), and some extra warmth but no real spice from the copal, and the myrrh's gone. Good throw and longevity.

Sniffed in imp: Sharp soil, an astringent anise-like note and dirty vegetal roots. Powerful.

Deep slightly reddish brown oil. Sweet and rich, almost foody, with a hint of earthiness. The lotus is not like other lotus notes I've smelled - it definitely has that hint of bubblegum sweetness, but this is a lot darker and deeper. I think there is some red musk in this, because I get a bit of that sweet mentholic effect. Oh yeah, definitely a lot of red musk in this - it comes out immediately on my skin. The lotus amps too, and it actually smells floral unlike most lotus, while still having that deep, candyish sweetness to it. It is a bit more bubblegummy on me though, which clashes oddly with the cola-medicinal red musk. I think the earthy note is a light, rooty sort of patchouli - well-behaved, thankfully, and faint. Slow to dry, but it's becoming more earthy as it does, and also more dusty, and...soapy? This is a really weird blend, but I'm reminded strongly of a certain new age shop's smell - so I think there is some incense note here beyond the patchouli - it smells a little cheap and generic, too. Hmm, maybe Nag Champa? And I think the dusty note is myrhh. Still, lotus and red musk by dominating heavily. Okay, I don't there's incense - I take it back. It's wood. This has gone very woody, drily so - I'm pretty positive this is rosewood, which goes very cedarish/sawdust on my skin, and also has that faint rosy overtone which is why the lotus seemed more floral than usual. The lotus has actually faded quite a bit, taking a lot of sweetness with it, so this is less cloying. The red musk is now definitely the strongest note. Patchouli still faint. This oil never truly dries on me. It's syrupy red musk and slightly rosy-floral, dry, warm, and dusty rosewood with softly earthy patchouli and a hint of candyish sweetness. The lotus in this really is a lot better than most lotus, but this blend doesn't work for me at all. Good throw and decent longevity.

Sniffed in imp: Very sweet, strong on the lotus and myrrh. No desire to try this one on my skin.

Sniffed in imp: Magnolia, orchid, dark amber, smoke. Heady and deeply floral.

Sniffed in imp: Sandalwood, lemon, sage, and jasmine. Dry, herbal, citrusy floral.

Light golden yellow oil. Dry, woody, and a little dirty (as, in a rooty-soil note). Lots of sandalwood and patchouli, not as much frankincense, though there is a resinous quality to this blend. Very much the dirt and roots sort of patchouli, with that sandalwood and what I SWEAR must be cedar - very very dry, warm, wood. I would cut a leg off if there isn't cedar in this. A tad sweeter on my skin, perhaps from the frankincense, which is a touch smoky but still very light. CEDAR! Cedar is beating me to death. From miles away over the Black Lace that's much closer to my nose. The good news is that is has overpowered the musty-filthy patchouli, the bad news is that I hate strong cedar notes. A bit spicy almost now, more smokiness and less sweetness from the slightly-amped frankincense.

Sniffed in imp: Sweet, foody. Beeswax and caramel and maple. Darkly syrupy. Maybe a hint of jasmine? Totally surprising. Something sort of smoky.

In the bottle: Exactly as described. Tulips, peonies, grass. Fresh, aquatic, and purely SPRING. Wet: A citrusy note is mingling with the florals and freshly mown grass.Light and feminine, a pale, clean scent. Dry: It's calmed down into a gentler blend, and that brief citrusy note has departed. Peony dominates, and the grass is still strong, but not as freshly mown. The tulip is definitely present as well and blends seamlessly with the other notes. Summary: The tulip amps up gradually to balance the peony perfectly, over a backdrop of new green grass, dewy and shimmering in the morning sun, all wonderfully harmonious. A very classic, light, feminine floral not unlike Clinique's Happy. Decent throw, good lasting power. Getting a bottle of this! Plus, I don't have a classic, light floral. This fills a lonely niche. Ahh, the wonders of justification...

Sniffed in imp: Rose and lilac; very faint wisteria, and other florals - quite well blended. Very feminine, and soft. A little powdery. Wisteria goes to absolute powdery hell on me, and this smells generic and a bit old ladyish, so I'm going to forgo even trying it on my skin.

In the bottle: Fresh, herbal gin and vermouth, bright lime, tart, fruity cranberry. Perfectly evokes a well blended cosmo. Not too sweet or sharp or sour. Wet: Super alcoholic, with the booze notes hitting first, and lime immediately after. It's a sugary lime, not a sour, zesty one. The cranberry however is quite tart, and almost wintry. There must be juniper or evergreen here - this is such a cool, crisp scent. Dry: Herbal-junipery alcohol, lime and other citrus, faint tart cranberry. This has sweetened a bit, but is still very fresh and invigorating. Summary: Juniper, herbs, and vodka, over sugared lime and tart cranberries. A cold, bracing scent, and very true to the description - highly evocative. Alas, the juniper bullies this blend too much on my skin. In ways, this is an inferior version of Golden Wave. ETA: Or, a superior version of Blue Fire! Ha.