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juushikaTWILIGHT (GC, Ars Moriendi)
Lavender and jasmine, with a touch of glowing honeysuckle.
A frimp from the Lab.
In the vial: Sharp and sickly floral—lavandar and jasmine, I'd say.
On me: Less bitter, more herbal, but predominantly jasmine. I suspect the honeysuckle rises to balance out the lavender a bit; the lavender loses its sharpness and grows more like a powdery herb, a nice dry backing for the scent. But the jasmine is predominant—it's not unpleasant, just strong, and so this reminds me of every other scent with jasmine in it (specifically Nyx).
Verdict: Once it dries down, this is a pleasant scent: powdery herbal, slightly bright, starring well-rounded jasmine. Given how the jasmine amps, Twilight is surprisingly well balanced. Unfortunately, I'm just not a big fan of jasmine—while it doesn't morph to anything strange, I don't want to wear it as a predominant note. And so I'll pass along this imp.
OGUN (GC, Excolo)
Ogun's ofrenda is heavy and dark cigar tobacco, gin and juniper, melon, chili pepper and a touch of honey.
A frimp from the lab, or I never would have tried it. Only one or two of the notes appeal to me.
In the imp: Juniper against melon and tobacco smoke. The smoke is particularly harsh. It's distinctive, and potent, and I don't like it.
On me: For the first time, I feel brave just for testing a scent! On skin it's not near so smoky, and some of the potency and bitterness fades away. I can smell fruit (though I couldn't say which), cigar smoke, and juniper; I don't get any of the other notes except perhaps a touch of spice from the pepper. It's something of an odd mix: smoky, masculine, which an unexpected gleam of fruity brightness. A calmer, smoother version of the vial scent.
Verdict: The scent calms down once it hits skin, thank goodness—but it's still not something I would wear. This is unusual but still distinctly masculine, rich with smooth tobacco smoke, and it's not really to my taste. But then I knew that before I even opened the imp. I'll pass this one on.
FRUMIOUS BANDERSNATCH (GC, Mad Tea Party)
Bandersnatch musk, redolent of spicy carnations, wild plums and chrysanthemum.
A psychic frimp from the Lab—I've wanted to try this, and almost ordered it this time around.
In the vial: Plum—fruity, bright, but a bit dusty.
On me: I didn't know that craft stores had a certain smell but as it turns out—they do, and they smell like Frumious Banderstatch. Or, rather, FB is a craft store, a touch toned down and a touch more wearable. The plum is predominant, fruity, full-bodied, and bright; it does smell a bit like a candle, but not enough to put me off. Carnation and a touch of chrysanthemum back it up, a spicy accent which is slightly floral and sweet. To my sadness, I don't get any musk. The overall scent smells a touch artificial, a touch like potpourri, and definitely has the fruit-floral-spice scent of a craft store—but it's quite pleasant. Warm, cheery, vivid, this smells like winter holiday cheer. Scent color is highly saturated purple leaning towards red. The scent is strong but the throw is only moderate; wear length is average.
Verdict: I'm not head over heels for Fumious Bandersnatch. I like the scent and the notes, but not the craft store image they conjure. Perhaps if it were a bit less vivid and a touch more subtle—or if I got any of the musk—I would love it more. As it is, I'll keep my imp around, wear it a few more times, and make my final decision as to its fate.
HYMN TO PROSERPINE (GC, Bewitching Brews)
The darkening amber of faith’s sunset, deepened by the dark fruits of Proserpine.
Another magical frimp from the Lab—I've been curious about trying this one for a while.
In the vial: Well then, that's pomegranate—or at least I assume so, I've never smelled it before. It's a candied juicy bright red fruit, sweet and slightly cloying.
On me: After a short hit of sugary artificial red fruit, this calms dramatically. The amber settles the pomegranate, smoothing and darkening it into something softly beautiful. Rich but not too strong, warm and red, dimmed and shadowed, smooth and just a touch powdery. The longer I wear it, the deeper, darker, and more beautiful it grows. The throw is low, hovering at the skin and sending out a few stronger tendrils of scent; the color is a shadowed, slightly muted, deep dark red.
Verdict: In the imp the bright artificial red fruit scared me, but on the skin this is lovely. It calms and deepens to a remarkable scent, warm, dark, and intimate. The description is right on, this is dark amber and dark red fruits—but you have to sniff it to truly appreciate it. Though it hasn't jumped to the top of my favorites list, but I shall certainly keep my imp and I expect to wear this again.
LANGUOR (GC, Sin & Salvation)
Paperwhite and black narcissus, three lilies, black poppy and tuberose and a hint of hypnotic opium den haze.
A frimp for the Lab, or I would never try this—they're not my sort of notes.
In the vial: Strange, bitter, unidentifiable florals? Honestly I have no idea.
On me: This is not what I expected—which is to say, it's not a mass of busy florals. In fact, it's almost pleasant. The opium smoke tones down the florals into something suitably languorous, but this never becomes airy. A body in repose, Languor is palpable florals, rich in texture but light in color, smoked and subdued by opium. My skin is loving this, and somehow I think ... I am too.
Verdict: I was expecting to hate Langour as I do most predominant florals, and yet I am somehow pleasantly surprised. This is not a cloying floral nightmare, but a smooth blend of fleshy florals hazed by opium smoke. It is unexpectedly lovely, suits the inspiration quite well, and I like it. This is outside of my usual tastes so I don't know how often I'll wear it, but I'll keep my imp for a while and find out.
Lavender and jasmine, with a touch of glowing honeysuckle.
A frimp from the Lab.
In the vial: Sharp and sickly floral—lavandar and jasmine, I'd say.
On me: Less bitter, more herbal, but predominantly jasmine. I suspect the honeysuckle rises to balance out the lavender a bit; the lavender loses its sharpness and grows more like a powdery herb, a nice dry backing for the scent. But the jasmine is predominant—it's not unpleasant, just strong, and so this reminds me of every other scent with jasmine in it (specifically Nyx).
Verdict: Once it dries down, this is a pleasant scent: powdery herbal, slightly bright, starring well-rounded jasmine. Given how the jasmine amps, Twilight is surprisingly well balanced. Unfortunately, I'm just not a big fan of jasmine—while it doesn't morph to anything strange, I don't want to wear it as a predominant note. And so I'll pass along this imp.
OGUN (GC, Excolo)
Ogun's ofrenda is heavy and dark cigar tobacco, gin and juniper, melon, chili pepper and a touch of honey.
A frimp from the lab, or I never would have tried it. Only one or two of the notes appeal to me.
In the imp: Juniper against melon and tobacco smoke. The smoke is particularly harsh. It's distinctive, and potent, and I don't like it.
On me: For the first time, I feel brave just for testing a scent! On skin it's not near so smoky, and some of the potency and bitterness fades away. I can smell fruit (though I couldn't say which), cigar smoke, and juniper; I don't get any of the other notes except perhaps a touch of spice from the pepper. It's something of an odd mix: smoky, masculine, which an unexpected gleam of fruity brightness. A calmer, smoother version of the vial scent.
Verdict: The scent calms down once it hits skin, thank goodness—but it's still not something I would wear. This is unusual but still distinctly masculine, rich with smooth tobacco smoke, and it's not really to my taste. But then I knew that before I even opened the imp. I'll pass this one on.
FRUMIOUS BANDERSNATCH (GC, Mad Tea Party)
Bandersnatch musk, redolent of spicy carnations, wild plums and chrysanthemum.
A psychic frimp from the Lab—I've wanted to try this, and almost ordered it this time around.
In the vial: Plum—fruity, bright, but a bit dusty.
On me: I didn't know that craft stores had a certain smell but as it turns out—they do, and they smell like Frumious Banderstatch. Or, rather, FB is a craft store, a touch toned down and a touch more wearable. The plum is predominant, fruity, full-bodied, and bright; it does smell a bit like a candle, but not enough to put me off. Carnation and a touch of chrysanthemum back it up, a spicy accent which is slightly floral and sweet. To my sadness, I don't get any musk. The overall scent smells a touch artificial, a touch like potpourri, and definitely has the fruit-floral-spice scent of a craft store—but it's quite pleasant. Warm, cheery, vivid, this smells like winter holiday cheer. Scent color is highly saturated purple leaning towards red. The scent is strong but the throw is only moderate; wear length is average.
Verdict: I'm not head over heels for Fumious Bandersnatch. I like the scent and the notes, but not the craft store image they conjure. Perhaps if it were a bit less vivid and a touch more subtle—or if I got any of the musk—I would love it more. As it is, I'll keep my imp around, wear it a few more times, and make my final decision as to its fate.
HYMN TO PROSERPINE (GC, Bewitching Brews)
The darkening amber of faith’s sunset, deepened by the dark fruits of Proserpine.
Another magical frimp from the Lab—I've been curious about trying this one for a while.
In the vial: Well then, that's pomegranate—or at least I assume so, I've never smelled it before. It's a candied juicy bright red fruit, sweet and slightly cloying.
On me: After a short hit of sugary artificial red fruit, this calms dramatically. The amber settles the pomegranate, smoothing and darkening it into something softly beautiful. Rich but not too strong, warm and red, dimmed and shadowed, smooth and just a touch powdery. The longer I wear it, the deeper, darker, and more beautiful it grows. The throw is low, hovering at the skin and sending out a few stronger tendrils of scent; the color is a shadowed, slightly muted, deep dark red.
Verdict: In the imp the bright artificial red fruit scared me, but on the skin this is lovely. It calms and deepens to a remarkable scent, warm, dark, and intimate. The description is right on, this is dark amber and dark red fruits—but you have to sniff it to truly appreciate it. Though it hasn't jumped to the top of my favorites list, but I shall certainly keep my imp and I expect to wear this again.
LANGUOR (GC, Sin & Salvation)
Paperwhite and black narcissus, three lilies, black poppy and tuberose and a hint of hypnotic opium den haze.
A frimp for the Lab, or I would never try this—they're not my sort of notes.
In the vial: Strange, bitter, unidentifiable florals? Honestly I have no idea.
On me: This is not what I expected—which is to say, it's not a mass of busy florals. In fact, it's almost pleasant. The opium smoke tones down the florals into something suitably languorous, but this never becomes airy. A body in repose, Languor is palpable florals, rich in texture but light in color, smoked and subdued by opium. My skin is loving this, and somehow I think ... I am too.
Verdict: I was expecting to hate Langour as I do most predominant florals, and yet I am somehow pleasantly surprised. This is not a cloying floral nightmare, but a smooth blend of fleshy florals hazed by opium smoke. It is unexpectedly lovely, suits the inspiration quite well, and I like it. This is outside of my usual tastes so I don't know how often I'll wear it, but I'll keep my imp for a while and find out.
