![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
juushikaHAMADRYAD (DC, Bewitching Brews)
Seven dry woods with mossy lichen and a gentle breeze of forest flowers.
Original formulation, circa 2004
In the vial: Sappy, piney woods and, dare I say it, a touch of wintergreen or eucalyptus.
On me: Whatever the methanol-like note is, it disappears in drydown (thank goodness), but so does the sap of the woods—this is a light and gaseous scent. It is a breeze floating through dry woods touched by moss, and the florals are only a bare touch of sweetness in the air. The note are all very light and indistinct, and I get nothing of the spices from other reviews. More than anything, this is the scent of air—thin, dry, still, cool. Color is a light mossy green, texture is as light as air, throw is very low.
Verdict: On my skin, to my nose, it's like Yggdrasil mixed with evaporating alcohol—the same dry herbal woods, lightened into air. I prefer the solidity of Yggdrasil, and even then I only use it to layer with other blends. This, by contrast, feels almost like an absence of scent, and it's not something I want to wear. I don't dislike Hamadryad, and it was nice to try, but I'm not sad to have missed this blend.
BLACK LOTUS (GC, Rappaccini's Garden)
Black lotus flower, amber, myrrh and sandalwood.
In the vial: Sharp sugary pink floral—that's lotus all right, with anything to tame it.
On me: Gross cloying bubblegum, a rise of bitter companion notes, but within half an hour they both calm down. The drydown, is unexpectedly fruity: fruit by the way of lotus, similar to dragon's blood resin. A reddish-pink tone with a kick of sharp and sweet, not a real identifiable fruit but no longer a floral. The resins mute and darken the color of the scent, providing a smooth, warm, slightly smoky base.
Verdict: I had great hopes for and fears of this blend, but it's managed to fall somewhere between. This is an unexpectedly fruity scent, reddish, sweet, shadowed—but not particularly complex. The lotus is palatable, but the notes which temper it strip away its defining brightness without adding complexity or character, creating a moderate scent which is nice but unremarkable. I'll retest this once more, but I expect to trade it away. Hopefully someone else will have better luck with my imp.
LUCY'S KISS (GC, Ars Amatoria)
The gentle scent of rose and a blend of Victorian spices.
In the vial: Why hello there, rose. This is white rose to my nose, sharp but pale. There's just a hint of some other note in the background, but I can't pin down what.
On me: Roses and spices, indeed. I still believe this is white rose, because it's light-toned and gentle and hasn't begun screaming bloody murder, as other roses are wont to do on my skin. The sharpness has fled, leaving the rose petal-smooth and softly sweet. I can't pick out individual spices; warm, slightly powdery, more smooth than sharp, they seem like a sprinkling of powdered clove over a smooth dark resin.
Verdict: The boyfriend likes Lucy's Kiss, but the boyfriend is fond of rose. I am less so—I'm not a big fan of the scent in general, red rose goes awful on my skin, and I already have a preferred white rose blend (Magdalene). Still, this is far more pleasant and well-behaved than I expected. The rose is light but distinct and spices are a beautiful compliment, grounding and warming the scent. I'm almost fond of this, but I'm not sure how often I'll wear it. For now, I'll keep my imp.
MOLE (LE, Yule 2008: Wind in the Willows)
Antiqued sandalwood, patchouli, and soft mosses.
In the bottle: There's something in here which I can't name but is very familiar. Soft, dry, slightly powdery moss and herbs. Color is somewhere between sage and moss green.
On me: Lurid Library—that's what this reminds me of. The blends don't share similar notes, but mayhap it's the combination of smooth, barely-powdery sandalwood and the darkness of patchouli which reminds me of parchment tinged by time. I'm not sure, and honestly I don't care; I just want to bathe in it. This parchment is gently touched by mosses (which are not nearly as masculine as I expected), and it's thinner and lighter than LL, but on the whole they're very similar oils on my skin. Color is creamy, muted, pale moss green; throw is moderate to low.
Verdict: Lurid Library is one of my top ten, and so the similarities I smell in Mole delight me. On my skin, to my nose, they're definitely scent cousins: Lurid Library is a thick stack of expensive cream-colored parchment and Mole is a piece of thin parchment abed dry moss. It's a beautiful scent, unisex and soft and comforting. If a decant lands in my lap I'll be thrilled, but I already have a bottle of LL so I'm not in too much a hurry to get more than this sniffy of Mole.
Seven dry woods with mossy lichen and a gentle breeze of forest flowers.
Original formulation, circa 2004
In the vial: Sappy, piney woods and, dare I say it, a touch of wintergreen or eucalyptus.
On me: Whatever the methanol-like note is, it disappears in drydown (thank goodness), but so does the sap of the woods—this is a light and gaseous scent. It is a breeze floating through dry woods touched by moss, and the florals are only a bare touch of sweetness in the air. The note are all very light and indistinct, and I get nothing of the spices from other reviews. More than anything, this is the scent of air—thin, dry, still, cool. Color is a light mossy green, texture is as light as air, throw is very low.
Verdict: On my skin, to my nose, it's like Yggdrasil mixed with evaporating alcohol—the same dry herbal woods, lightened into air. I prefer the solidity of Yggdrasil, and even then I only use it to layer with other blends. This, by contrast, feels almost like an absence of scent, and it's not something I want to wear. I don't dislike Hamadryad, and it was nice to try, but I'm not sad to have missed this blend.
BLACK LOTUS (GC, Rappaccini's Garden)
Black lotus flower, amber, myrrh and sandalwood.
In the vial: Sharp sugary pink floral—that's lotus all right, with anything to tame it.
On me: Gross cloying bubblegum, a rise of bitter companion notes, but within half an hour they both calm down. The drydown, is unexpectedly fruity: fruit by the way of lotus, similar to dragon's blood resin. A reddish-pink tone with a kick of sharp and sweet, not a real identifiable fruit but no longer a floral. The resins mute and darken the color of the scent, providing a smooth, warm, slightly smoky base.
Verdict: I had great hopes for and fears of this blend, but it's managed to fall somewhere between. This is an unexpectedly fruity scent, reddish, sweet, shadowed—but not particularly complex. The lotus is palatable, but the notes which temper it strip away its defining brightness without adding complexity or character, creating a moderate scent which is nice but unremarkable. I'll retest this once more, but I expect to trade it away. Hopefully someone else will have better luck with my imp.
LUCY'S KISS (GC, Ars Amatoria)
The gentle scent of rose and a blend of Victorian spices.
In the vial: Why hello there, rose. This is white rose to my nose, sharp but pale. There's just a hint of some other note in the background, but I can't pin down what.
On me: Roses and spices, indeed. I still believe this is white rose, because it's light-toned and gentle and hasn't begun screaming bloody murder, as other roses are wont to do on my skin. The sharpness has fled, leaving the rose petal-smooth and softly sweet. I can't pick out individual spices; warm, slightly powdery, more smooth than sharp, they seem like a sprinkling of powdered clove over a smooth dark resin.
Verdict: The boyfriend likes Lucy's Kiss, but the boyfriend is fond of rose. I am less so—I'm not a big fan of the scent in general, red rose goes awful on my skin, and I already have a preferred white rose blend (Magdalene). Still, this is far more pleasant and well-behaved than I expected. The rose is light but distinct and spices are a beautiful compliment, grounding and warming the scent. I'm almost fond of this, but I'm not sure how often I'll wear it. For now, I'll keep my imp.
MOLE (LE, Yule 2008: Wind in the Willows)
Antiqued sandalwood, patchouli, and soft mosses.
In the bottle: There's something in here which I can't name but is very familiar. Soft, dry, slightly powdery moss and herbs. Color is somewhere between sage and moss green.
On me: Lurid Library—that's what this reminds me of. The blends don't share similar notes, but mayhap it's the combination of smooth, barely-powdery sandalwood and the darkness of patchouli which reminds me of parchment tinged by time. I'm not sure, and honestly I don't care; I just want to bathe in it. This parchment is gently touched by mosses (which are not nearly as masculine as I expected), and it's thinner and lighter than LL, but on the whole they're very similar oils on my skin. Color is creamy, muted, pale moss green; throw is moderate to low.
Verdict: Lurid Library is one of my top ten, and so the similarities I smell in Mole delight me. On my skin, to my nose, they're definitely scent cousins: Lurid Library is a thick stack of expensive cream-colored parchment and Mole is a piece of thin parchment abed dry moss. It's a beautiful scent, unisex and soft and comforting. If a decant lands in my lap I'll be thrilled, but I already have a bottle of LL so I'm not in too much a hurry to get more than this sniffy of Mole.
