Leopard403

By far, Lead Phoenix is the biggest surprise of the anniversary bunch for me. I was testing sniffies blindly, with no list as to what notes were in which scent, and I think I should do that more often: I think knowing ahead of time plants a seed, placebo effect-like, as to whether I'll like something or not. This is lovely but hard to describe on my skin, I guess most notable as a clean floral, though not at all soapy or identifiable as a "flowery" scent. This is very sophisticated and gently perfume-y and quite excellent. Not at all "lead"-like on the skin! Damn, I wish I could do better than than in describing it. I'll come back after I've thought on it some more...

Good gracious, this is Alice to the one millionth power, and a little dab'll do ya! Hot, creamy carnation-y goodness, with the amber just slightly powdery. Very sexy, this will be much better on a date than at work. It's too heady and sultry for the workplace, but it's perfect for a steamy night with a loved one.

Why is this so violet-y good when there's no violet in there?!? This is another Phoenix in which I can't discern separate notes, but the overall tone is soft and powdery, and makes me think of the color lilac and dainty fairies and spiderwebs wet with dew. (Insert eyeroll here; I know how that sounds! ) As ethereal as this feels on my skin, it lasts a ridiculously long time. As in: I put it on last night before dinner, and when I woke up this morning and rolled over, I could still catch a whiff in the hair that had been tucked behind my ears. Quite nice, and potentially bottle-worthy.

I can't even skin-test this one. In my sniffie, all I get is old blood and rust and it hits my nose in a wave of hot scent that made my gorge rise. Not for me, this one.

I can't really pick out any separate notes in this scent; the best I can do is say that this smells "bright" and is evocative of orange groves and Springtime. Amber is hit-or-miss on my skin, and in this blend it works as something soft and almost powdery.

This is a lovely little scent. I was worried about the patchouli note, but that part of Copper Phoenixis evocative of Clemence, which I like very much. Over that I can smell a honey-bright orange-y scent, with something unidentifiably floral (the rose?) keeping that grounded and far from citrus furniture polish. As it wears I definitely get more of the sandalwood, but that soft patchouli and zesty scent are still there as well. Unexpectedly good!

Oooooh, they ARE really awesome!

Yes, Phoenix pics please! Pics! Pics! Pics! *bangs desk*

This was the biggest surprise in my decant package, and I'm so glad I gave this a try! (I give thanks to MarketFresh--at least, I think it was her--for pointing out that jasmine and night-blooming jasmine are two very different things in the perfuming world. I also give props to Catseyes, my decant leader, for making the fantabulous decision to use a pic of Buffy's The Gentlemen on this label. ) This is a very bright, very happy scent. It starts out citrus-y without the bathroom cleaner smell I so often get, and the bergamot keeps it grounded. Freesia and eucalyptus are noticable without being sinus-cleansing; and the florals dance without being too heady. This reminds me of something from my past--something with happy memories, though I can't recall what--so that could be why I love it so much. This will be a fantastic scent to wear during the time of year when winter is bleeding into spring, and everything is sort of mushy and gray but trying desperately to bloom again.

I couldn't even skin-test this one, I just knew upon first sniff that this wasn't for me. Much too head-shop.

I expected bright bubbly fruit here, but as others have mentioned, this is shockingly warm! Not impressed with the dry-down, though, as this turns into synthetic cherry air freshener they sometimes use in bathrooms. Guh.

Gorgeous and complex while wet, I definitely smell the spicy warmth of those mums. Unfortunately, it's straight up mint when it dries.

Oooh, nice. I expected this to be heavy on the fruit, but it is suprisingly foody. On my skin this is a fantastic dark coconut, similar to Obatala but less buttery and more complex.

How on God's green acres does this become BABY POWDER on me? Maybe I'm at a weird time in my cycle. I'll definitely review again in a few weeks.

On my skin, this is so sweet it turns almost powdery, which is a weird phenomenon because when this goes on wet it is incredibly tart. If you rolled fresh pomegranate seeds in baby powder, you'd get this on the drydown.

Rose geranium is prominent in this blend, though my nose is very sensitive to it. This is reminiscent of lemony bathroom cleaner on me. Up for swaps.

With so many deal-breaker notes, I would never have tried this had it not been frimped to me in a swap. And I was right: I like nothing about this. Ylang-ylang is headache-inducing, and the other notes are too hippy-ish (which on me means dark and sour).

Salty and clean and much better on boys.

Whoa, hello herbal lavender!

I was worried about the red wine and black musk scent here, but I really like Lilith! Of course, the rose amps; it always does. But it's a sibilant kind of rose mixed with the other notes. This is a very serious blend, though, so I can only wear it on serious days. Nothing girly about this!

This was too much like cheap incense for me to even test on my skin. Goes to the swaps pile.

Herb-y and head shop-y. Way too heavy for me.

I like this. The fruity isn't too citrus-y, but it's bright, almost fizzy. Lay that over the clean but somehow creamy scent of the musk and the sandalwood. Every once in a while I get the scent of creamsicle from this, but I think that's my brain more than my nose.

I was wary of this, since there is no real mention of notes, but this is lovely. A very sexy scent; "languid" is absolutely the best way to describe it. On me, there is definitely something spicy and creamy about it. I could see how it could be almond-based.

I can't smell anything but the vetiver. Sometimes I hate my nose.