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juushikaJULIET (GC, Illyria)
Sweet pea with stargazer lily, calla lily, heliotrope, honeysuckle, white musk and a touch of fresh pear.
In the vial: A watery, fresh sweet pea—it's surprisingly refreshing and lovely.
On me: A burst of pear and then a veritable explosion of flowers. I can't pick apart the florals, but there's heady fleshiness from the lilies and sweetness from the sweet pea and honeysuckle. The musk is powdery and dowdy—it hints at old lady. For a while the pear is just a touch of moist fruitiness, but within an hour it amps to a major component, tuning down the musk and turning Juliet into a crisp, wet fruity-floral. The florals are strong but not heavy, the pear is glistening and crisp. Wear length is moderate; throw is moderate to high, dying down to low.
Verdict: The fruity floral combination here is quite palatable, but the wet freshness prevents it from being too commercial. It's a strong, bright blend. Despite being nice in its own right, I don't think it's a very good match to the inspiration and it's definitely not a good choice for me. This isn't my sort of scent in the least, and so I'll pass along my imp.
THE ISLE OF DEMONS (GC, Wanderlust: The Phantom Isles)
The scent is of wet, dark greenery, carnivorous flowers, volcanic gas, and the hot black musk of the demons and wild beasts that populated the islands.
In the vial: Wet dark greenery with a perfumey floral edge, a thick, damp, decaying scent.
On me: I'm reminded of the green waters of Oblivion—but where Oblivion is smooth and still, Isle of Demons has more life and movement. The greenery, grown less dark and rotting, adds a touch of something living. The florals are heady and, with the gas, have an airy quality—tropic steam floating over green waters. The musk is a faint nose-prickling sharpness. Scent-color is forest-green touched with magenta. Throw is low.
Verdict: I could never wear this—I find the green water unsettling and the tropic floral isn't to my taste, and so I will pass along my imp. Still, this is an interesting scent—it's a wild wet tropic scent with dark unisex greenery, but it also has a surprising airy quality.
LEANAN SIDHE (GC, Bewitching Brews)
Her perfume is a crush of Irish herbs and flowers, Gaelic mists, and nighttime dew.
In the vial: Airy, watery, bright, golden, and a touch floral.
On me: The florals are predominant, light and perfumey, even a touch commercial. The herbs barely make themselves known, leaving the scent a bit too light and almost cloying. There's aquatic here, but there's nothing nighttime about it—this is a bright daylight scent, like sun on swiftly-fading mists. There may even be a touch of lemon. As it wears and fades, the headiness dies down and this becomes an airy, misty light floral which is quite pleasant but very faint. Scent-color is translucent pear yellow. Throw is moderate dying down to low; wear length is short.
Verdict: I'm unimpressed. I was expecting something a bit more delicate and unusual, but instead get a light commercial perfume misted with aquatics. It's light, floral, gently glowing, and not unpleasant, but not really my thing. I wish it were more subdued or a bit more herbal—something to cut down the headiness of the floral. All told, this just isn't the scent for me. I'm glad to have tried it, but I'll pass along my imp.
SNOW BUNNY (LE, Yule 2008)
Soft white powder snow with a touch of youthful girlie perfume.
In the vial: Pine! A white pine, and I already think that this is not going to end well.
On me: Commercial perfume, lightened by snow, brightened by pine. At first the commercial perfume is the dominant aspect, but the pine quickly overwhelms. Bright, astringent, and strong, it's just too much for me. I had to wash this off.
Verdict: Absolutely not my scent and not a keeper. I'm learning that I truly hate pine, and this is a shining example: it's too astringent and too strong, and I can't stand it. Even without the pine, the underlying commercial floral perfume doesn't appeal to me. I'll pass along my imp.
DANSE MACABRE (GC, Ars Moriendi)
Black cypress with oakmoss, frankincense, oude, and a sliver of toasted hazelnut.
In the vial: Astringent warm resin—an odd combination, no doubt, of cypress and frankincense.
On me: After an initial overwhelming hit of cypress, it calms down to a mere accompanying note. At its heart the scent is warm, smooth, and solid, frankincense perhaps touched by hazelnut. There's a bit of herbal dryness from the oakmoss, slightly powdery and masculine, and a bit of airy astringency from the cypress. The scent is very faint, throw is very low, wear length is low as well. Scent-color is smooth light neutrals—green, touched by brown.
Verdict: The initial strength of the cypress is outright intimidating, but the drydown is surprisingly pleasant. The resin, moss, and cypress is an odd combination, earth-warm but air-cool. It's a very quiet scent, subdued, just a hint of something surprisingly pleasant. But I'm not a fan of pine, and so I can't get past the astringency; the scent is also a bit too light and short-lived for my preferences. This was an interesting blend to try, but I'll pass it along.
RED DEVIL (GC, Bewitching Brews: The Conjure Bag)
A sinfully playful lust blend. Inspires sexual spontaneity, a little bit of kinkiness, and new and inventive ways to get dirty.
In the vial: Red, slightly floral, and candy-like—a bright, sweetened, slightly artificial scent.
On me: Heavy florals and a touch of spice over that candy-red background. The florals is predominant throughout wear, a heady, fleshy, potentially tropical flower. The red background is probably dragon's blood resin, but this is it's candied form, sweet and thick and fruity-floral. The spice is very faint, perhaps a drop of cinnamon. Scent color is a pinkish red. Throw is moderate to high. I can't judge wear length, as I expect I'll wash this off shortly.
Verdict: This scent doesn't really spark my sexual proclivities—probably because I don't feel comfortable in this scent, and so it has a difficult time making me outgoing or otherwise randy. The heady florals here are just too much for my tastes, intended use aside. I washed it off, and I'll trade away my imp.
KHAJURAHO (LE, Lupercalia 2006)
This is a blissful, euphoric blend based on an ancient Indian love potion: honey, date palm, tuberose, davana blossom, amber, white sandalwood, vanilla bean, Damask rose, and champaca flower.
In the vial: Sweet and golden honey with a fleshy pink floral (primarily rose).
On me: There's an initial burst of amped-up bitter red rose, but during drydown the notes rebalance and round out. The fleshiness of pink florals are combined with a touch of rounded, slightly tart fruit, a warm base of amber, a hint of spice and incense from the sandalwood, and plenty of thick, creamy, slight sweet honey and vanilla to smooth it all out. It's a rich, thick, sensual blend, creamy and slightly heady, but more golden than dark. Scent color is pink gold. Throw is moderate.
Verdict: Given my general distaste for florals, this is much more lovely than I ever expected. It's definitely a floral blend, but the resins ground out the headiness of the flowers and the creamy base of honey and vanilla is sensual and delightfully indulgent. This scent isn't anything like my usual style, and I don't know how often I'll wear it. But it's so lovely that I have to keep it around.
Sweet pea with stargazer lily, calla lily, heliotrope, honeysuckle, white musk and a touch of fresh pear.
In the vial: A watery, fresh sweet pea—it's surprisingly refreshing and lovely.
On me: A burst of pear and then a veritable explosion of flowers. I can't pick apart the florals, but there's heady fleshiness from the lilies and sweetness from the sweet pea and honeysuckle. The musk is powdery and dowdy—it hints at old lady. For a while the pear is just a touch of moist fruitiness, but within an hour it amps to a major component, tuning down the musk and turning Juliet into a crisp, wet fruity-floral. The florals are strong but not heavy, the pear is glistening and crisp. Wear length is moderate; throw is moderate to high, dying down to low.
Verdict: The fruity floral combination here is quite palatable, but the wet freshness prevents it from being too commercial. It's a strong, bright blend. Despite being nice in its own right, I don't think it's a very good match to the inspiration and it's definitely not a good choice for me. This isn't my sort of scent in the least, and so I'll pass along my imp.
THE ISLE OF DEMONS (GC, Wanderlust: The Phantom Isles)
The scent is of wet, dark greenery, carnivorous flowers, volcanic gas, and the hot black musk of the demons and wild beasts that populated the islands.
In the vial: Wet dark greenery with a perfumey floral edge, a thick, damp, decaying scent.
On me: I'm reminded of the green waters of Oblivion—but where Oblivion is smooth and still, Isle of Demons has more life and movement. The greenery, grown less dark and rotting, adds a touch of something living. The florals are heady and, with the gas, have an airy quality—tropic steam floating over green waters. The musk is a faint nose-prickling sharpness. Scent-color is forest-green touched with magenta. Throw is low.
Verdict: I could never wear this—I find the green water unsettling and the tropic floral isn't to my taste, and so I will pass along my imp. Still, this is an interesting scent—it's a wild wet tropic scent with dark unisex greenery, but it also has a surprising airy quality.
LEANAN SIDHE (GC, Bewitching Brews)
Her perfume is a crush of Irish herbs and flowers, Gaelic mists, and nighttime dew.
In the vial: Airy, watery, bright, golden, and a touch floral.
On me: The florals are predominant, light and perfumey, even a touch commercial. The herbs barely make themselves known, leaving the scent a bit too light and almost cloying. There's aquatic here, but there's nothing nighttime about it—this is a bright daylight scent, like sun on swiftly-fading mists. There may even be a touch of lemon. As it wears and fades, the headiness dies down and this becomes an airy, misty light floral which is quite pleasant but very faint. Scent-color is translucent pear yellow. Throw is moderate dying down to low; wear length is short.
Verdict: I'm unimpressed. I was expecting something a bit more delicate and unusual, but instead get a light commercial perfume misted with aquatics. It's light, floral, gently glowing, and not unpleasant, but not really my thing. I wish it were more subdued or a bit more herbal—something to cut down the headiness of the floral. All told, this just isn't the scent for me. I'm glad to have tried it, but I'll pass along my imp.
SNOW BUNNY (LE, Yule 2008)
Soft white powder snow with a touch of youthful girlie perfume.
In the vial: Pine! A white pine, and I already think that this is not going to end well.
On me: Commercial perfume, lightened by snow, brightened by pine. At first the commercial perfume is the dominant aspect, but the pine quickly overwhelms. Bright, astringent, and strong, it's just too much for me. I had to wash this off.
Verdict: Absolutely not my scent and not a keeper. I'm learning that I truly hate pine, and this is a shining example: it's too astringent and too strong, and I can't stand it. Even without the pine, the underlying commercial floral perfume doesn't appeal to me. I'll pass along my imp.
DANSE MACABRE (GC, Ars Moriendi)
Black cypress with oakmoss, frankincense, oude, and a sliver of toasted hazelnut.
In the vial: Astringent warm resin—an odd combination, no doubt, of cypress and frankincense.
On me: After an initial overwhelming hit of cypress, it calms down to a mere accompanying note. At its heart the scent is warm, smooth, and solid, frankincense perhaps touched by hazelnut. There's a bit of herbal dryness from the oakmoss, slightly powdery and masculine, and a bit of airy astringency from the cypress. The scent is very faint, throw is very low, wear length is low as well. Scent-color is smooth light neutrals—green, touched by brown.
Verdict: The initial strength of the cypress is outright intimidating, but the drydown is surprisingly pleasant. The resin, moss, and cypress is an odd combination, earth-warm but air-cool. It's a very quiet scent, subdued, just a hint of something surprisingly pleasant. But I'm not a fan of pine, and so I can't get past the astringency; the scent is also a bit too light and short-lived for my preferences. This was an interesting blend to try, but I'll pass it along.
RED DEVIL (GC, Bewitching Brews: The Conjure Bag)
A sinfully playful lust blend. Inspires sexual spontaneity, a little bit of kinkiness, and new and inventive ways to get dirty.
In the vial: Red, slightly floral, and candy-like—a bright, sweetened, slightly artificial scent.
On me: Heavy florals and a touch of spice over that candy-red background. The florals is predominant throughout wear, a heady, fleshy, potentially tropical flower. The red background is probably dragon's blood resin, but this is it's candied form, sweet and thick and fruity-floral. The spice is very faint, perhaps a drop of cinnamon. Scent color is a pinkish red. Throw is moderate to high. I can't judge wear length, as I expect I'll wash this off shortly.
Verdict: This scent doesn't really spark my sexual proclivities—probably because I don't feel comfortable in this scent, and so it has a difficult time making me outgoing or otherwise randy. The heady florals here are just too much for my tastes, intended use aside. I washed it off, and I'll trade away my imp.
KHAJURAHO (LE, Lupercalia 2006)
This is a blissful, euphoric blend based on an ancient Indian love potion: honey, date palm, tuberose, davana blossom, amber, white sandalwood, vanilla bean, Damask rose, and champaca flower.
In the vial: Sweet and golden honey with a fleshy pink floral (primarily rose).
On me: There's an initial burst of amped-up bitter red rose, but during drydown the notes rebalance and round out. The fleshiness of pink florals are combined with a touch of rounded, slightly tart fruit, a warm base of amber, a hint of spice and incense from the sandalwood, and plenty of thick, creamy, slight sweet honey and vanilla to smooth it all out. It's a rich, thick, sensual blend, creamy and slightly heady, but more golden than dark. Scent color is pink gold. Throw is moderate.
Verdict: Given my general distaste for florals, this is much more lovely than I ever expected. It's definitely a floral blend, but the resins ground out the headiness of the flowers and the creamy base of honey and vanilla is sensual and delightfully indulgent. This scent isn't anything like my usual style, and I don't know how often I'll wear it. But it's so lovely that I have to keep it around.
