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juushikaDELPHI (GC, Wanderlust)
The smoke of Sacred Incense of Apollo twined through laurel branches, bay, and honey wine.
In the vial: Nose-biting, astringent woods over a deeper, darker background.
On me: The astringency calms but lingers, a sharp, dry note above the rest. Incense frames it, smoky and dark. The wine is a light touch of fruit, not golden honey, rounding and fleshing everything out—but on the whole, this is woody astringency over incense. It doesn't morph much, either. Scent-color is dark gray.
Verdict: For someone that likes astringency, this may be lovely. Balanced against smoky incense, it's unusual and intriguing. For me, however, it's a deal breaker—I'm just not fond of it and certainly don't want to wear it in a perfume. I'll pass my imp along to someone else.
THORNS (GC, Marchen)
Thorn-spiked vines, blood, and tears.
In the vial: Blood over vetiver, a smoky, ashy, dark-red combination.
On me: It goes on with a plume of dry smoke and ash which honestly makes me feel like I need to cough. Slowly it calms, growing richer and lower, and the other notes rise—more blood than tears, and neither particularly distinct. This is an odd scent: thin ash settled over dark dry wood, made slightly richer by flakes of dry yet ruddy blood. It's surprisingly light and hovers like smoke over skin-level. Scent-color is charcoal gray just touched by dry dark red.
Verdict: I'm not quite sure what to think. For all its vetiver and blood, this is a surprisingly light and unassuming scent. It's not unpleasant, but neither is it lovely. It's just sort of there, unusual but uninteresting, somewhere between acceptable and pleasant, and I'm not sure what to make of it. I guess I'll keep my imp and test again, and then decide whether or not I want to keep it.
SKULD (GC, Excolo)
Ylang ylang, honey, Egyptian and Arabian musks and labdanum.
In the vial: Sweet, warm, wet, with a touch of floral that tends towards golden fruitiness. It's lovely.
On me: The fruitiness is more prominent (though still a minor component), and I think it's along the line of a white grape. At its heart, however, the floral is the star: golden and slightly tropical, it's definitely ylang ylang, giving the scent a perfumey edge. Beneath that, the scent is warm and golden, sticky, palpable—a very physical, bodily scent full of resin and honey. I don't get much in the way of musk. Color is pinkish gold; throw is moderate to high.
Verdict: This is a lovely scent, a wonderful match to "being"—it's sweet, golden, and very physical, in the line of O but with a more solid and less powdery resin. But I'm sad to see the ylang ylang amp so much, simply because florals aren't my thing. Where that aspect more subdued, I would love this scent; as it is, it's just too flowery and perfumey for my tastes. I'll trade away my imp.
Y'HA-NTHLEI (GC, Picnic in Arkham)
A swirling, lightless, effervescent scent: the deepest marine notes with bergamot, eucalyptus and foamy ambergris.
In the vial: Very fresh—effervescent is a good word for it.
On me: I get Sprite, which (needless to say) is a bit odd. The boyfriend smells Irish Springs soap. After ten minutes, I also get the soap—soap topped by carbonated lemon-lime. After a bit longer some darker tones come out, and under their shadow I see how this scent can truly be lightless yet effervescent. The soap still lingers. After a bit longer, I get a touch of eucalyptus and the soap and aquatic die back (though they're faintly present).
Verdict: Despite its strange and ongoing evolution, this is a scent which suits its description: the effervescence of lemon-lime and the airiness of eucalyptus against the shadow of dark aquatics. But those aquatics are a touch soapy on my skin, and regardless this isn't my sort of blend. It's unusual and I'm glad to have tried it, but I'll pass along my imp.
BATHSHEBA (GC, Ars Amotoria)
Her scent is breathtakingly lovely, exotic and powerfully sensual in its innocence: carnation, sensual plum, and Arabian musk.
In the vial: The faintest whiff of something sharp (carnation?) and fruity (plum?).
On me: Yes indeed, carnation, plum, and musk. The plum is the fruity heart of the scent, dominant, full and dark. The carnation is spicy and gives the scent lovely warmth. The musk is a rich, sensual aspect which melds the two notes together and contributes to the carnation's warmth. There's some odd bitterness in the scent at first, but on drydown it becomes a touch of tartness—which is not particularly pleasant, given the other notes, but remains largely inoffensive. Scent-color is a dusky reddened plum; scent-texture is a touch powdery and dusty. The throw is fairly low, but wear length is medium to long.
Verdict: I like the idea of Bathsheba more than the scent itself—which, despite the lovely notes, doesn't quite capture my heart. I wish the plum were less dominant and less tart. Nonetheless, it is lovely: warm and rich; feminine and seductive and yet an unusual take on both. I'm not in love, and the boyfriend think it's just nice, but I like it enough to keep my imp for now and see if I wear it and how it ages.
The smoke of Sacred Incense of Apollo twined through laurel branches, bay, and honey wine.
In the vial: Nose-biting, astringent woods over a deeper, darker background.
On me: The astringency calms but lingers, a sharp, dry note above the rest. Incense frames it, smoky and dark. The wine is a light touch of fruit, not golden honey, rounding and fleshing everything out—but on the whole, this is woody astringency over incense. It doesn't morph much, either. Scent-color is dark gray.
Verdict: For someone that likes astringency, this may be lovely. Balanced against smoky incense, it's unusual and intriguing. For me, however, it's a deal breaker—I'm just not fond of it and certainly don't want to wear it in a perfume. I'll pass my imp along to someone else.
THORNS (GC, Marchen)
Thorn-spiked vines, blood, and tears.
In the vial: Blood over vetiver, a smoky, ashy, dark-red combination.
On me: It goes on with a plume of dry smoke and ash which honestly makes me feel like I need to cough. Slowly it calms, growing richer and lower, and the other notes rise—more blood than tears, and neither particularly distinct. This is an odd scent: thin ash settled over dark dry wood, made slightly richer by flakes of dry yet ruddy blood. It's surprisingly light and hovers like smoke over skin-level. Scent-color is charcoal gray just touched by dry dark red.
Verdict: I'm not quite sure what to think. For all its vetiver and blood, this is a surprisingly light and unassuming scent. It's not unpleasant, but neither is it lovely. It's just sort of there, unusual but uninteresting, somewhere between acceptable and pleasant, and I'm not sure what to make of it. I guess I'll keep my imp and test again, and then decide whether or not I want to keep it.
SKULD (GC, Excolo)
Ylang ylang, honey, Egyptian and Arabian musks and labdanum.
In the vial: Sweet, warm, wet, with a touch of floral that tends towards golden fruitiness. It's lovely.
On me: The fruitiness is more prominent (though still a minor component), and I think it's along the line of a white grape. At its heart, however, the floral is the star: golden and slightly tropical, it's definitely ylang ylang, giving the scent a perfumey edge. Beneath that, the scent is warm and golden, sticky, palpable—a very physical, bodily scent full of resin and honey. I don't get much in the way of musk. Color is pinkish gold; throw is moderate to high.
Verdict: This is a lovely scent, a wonderful match to "being"—it's sweet, golden, and very physical, in the line of O but with a more solid and less powdery resin. But I'm sad to see the ylang ylang amp so much, simply because florals aren't my thing. Where that aspect more subdued, I would love this scent; as it is, it's just too flowery and perfumey for my tastes. I'll trade away my imp.
Y'HA-NTHLEI (GC, Picnic in Arkham)
A swirling, lightless, effervescent scent: the deepest marine notes with bergamot, eucalyptus and foamy ambergris.
In the vial: Very fresh—effervescent is a good word for it.
On me: I get Sprite, which (needless to say) is a bit odd. The boyfriend smells Irish Springs soap. After ten minutes, I also get the soap—soap topped by carbonated lemon-lime. After a bit longer some darker tones come out, and under their shadow I see how this scent can truly be lightless yet effervescent. The soap still lingers. After a bit longer, I get a touch of eucalyptus and the soap and aquatic die back (though they're faintly present).
Verdict: Despite its strange and ongoing evolution, this is a scent which suits its description: the effervescence of lemon-lime and the airiness of eucalyptus against the shadow of dark aquatics. But those aquatics are a touch soapy on my skin, and regardless this isn't my sort of blend. It's unusual and I'm glad to have tried it, but I'll pass along my imp.
BATHSHEBA (GC, Ars Amotoria)
Her scent is breathtakingly lovely, exotic and powerfully sensual in its innocence: carnation, sensual plum, and Arabian musk.
In the vial: The faintest whiff of something sharp (carnation?) and fruity (plum?).
On me: Yes indeed, carnation, plum, and musk. The plum is the fruity heart of the scent, dominant, full and dark. The carnation is spicy and gives the scent lovely warmth. The musk is a rich, sensual aspect which melds the two notes together and contributes to the carnation's warmth. There's some odd bitterness in the scent at first, but on drydown it becomes a touch of tartness—which is not particularly pleasant, given the other notes, but remains largely inoffensive. Scent-color is a dusky reddened plum; scent-texture is a touch powdery and dusty. The throw is fairly low, but wear length is medium to long.
Verdict: I like the idea of Bathsheba more than the scent itself—which, despite the lovely notes, doesn't quite capture my heart. I wish the plum were less dominant and less tart. Nonetheless, it is lovely: warm and rich; feminine and seductive and yet an unusual take on both. I'm not in love, and the boyfriend think it's just nice, but I like it enough to keep my imp for now and see if I wear it and how it ages.
