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juushikaDORIAN (GC, Sin & Salvation)
A Victorian fougere with three pale musks and dark, sugared vanilla tea.
In the vial: Sugared darkness, perhaps a hint of tea.
On me: This is the second time I've tested and tried to review this scent, and I'm running into the same problem I had before: I can't pick out notes and can barely describe my impressions. Not that it's faint or nondescript, just that the words fail me. Sweetish (but toned down from the bottle scent) by way of white sugar; a touch of lemon that gives a bit of etheral haze over the scent; the heart of the scent is what I find hardest to describe: something dark, a bit aged, but (because of the other notes) never heavy. That mystery heart is probably a combination of tea and musk, but honestly I don't get either note distinctly. Scent-color is brown, throw is moderate to low.
Verdict: I wish I were able to give a more precise description of this scent, but that escapes me. My inabilities aside, Dorian just doesn't grab me. It's pleasant enough and I wouldn't mind it on someone else, but it isn't to my taste—it leaves me with a distinct "meh" impression, and I wouldn't be drawn to wear it again. I'll give away my bottle.
THE HESPERIDES (GC, Bewitching Brews)
Their perfume is that of sturdy oak bark, dew-kissed leaves, twilight mist and crisp apple.
In the vial: Mostly golden apple, but there's something a little darker in the background. This reminds me oddly of a lighter, golden Fearful Pleasure—that's probably just the apple/wood combo, though.
On me: Yellow apple and musky wood. The apple is dominant, golden-yellow and slightly dewy—the aquatic goes a little strange on my skin, but mostly behaves itself. (When I first got this scent from the Lab, the aquatic made me nauseous; it's had some months to age, and that note has toned down a lot.) The woods aren't dark but they have a strange musky fuzz to them—or perhaps that's the leaves? Either way, there's a fuzzy, almost-powerderiness to the woods. Scent-color is yellow, throw is moderate to low.
Verdict: A not unpleasant scent, but not quite good. It's distinctive and it fits the notes and name, but to my nose the bright golden apple doesn't mesh well with the fuzzy musk/leaves, and while the combination isn't quite unsettling it is strange—and not in an intriguing way. I'm also not a fan of aquatics, even when well-behaved. In short, not offensive but a little strange, and not something I'll wear again. I'll pass my imp along.
MARY READ (GC, Bewitching Brews)
Salt air, ocean mist, aged patchouli, sarsaparilla, watered-down rum, leather-tinged musk, and a spray of gunpowder.
In the vial: Cologne. Spicy, alcohol-based cologne. That's probably the aquatic talking, echoed by the combination of rum/leather/musk/gunpowder.
On me: The cologne impression fades significantly after drydown. What's left behind is about what you'd expect: a spicy, but not sharp, mix of salt, musk, and plenty of grainy gunpowder (with a hint of vetiver smoke). I'm willing to bet that all the notes are in there, but those are the ones I perceive best. (But I get nothing floral, fruity, or sweet.) The scent has a lot of bite without quite growing harsh. Unfortunately, the vetiver somtimes amps too high, morphing from textured gunpowder into a much smoother smoke—in short, turning the scent into a mellow single note vetiver, which is nice enough but not really what Mary Read is meant to be. Scent-color is gray with a touch of brown; throw is moderate.
Verdict: I like Mary Read well enough when it's multifaceted, grainy, spicy, gunpowder-and-sea. It's a fascinating, unique scent, although not really a match to my personality—something I'd like to smell on someone else, I think. But the times when the vetiver amps are a bit disappointing—it strips most of the depth and personality from the scent. All in all, one I like but will pass on. It's just not something I'll wear.
SMUT (LE, Lupercalia 2006)
Three swarthy, smutty musks sweetened with sugar and woozy with dark booze notes.
In the vial: I'd wager boozy, fruity, and a touch musky, but really the scent is hard to pin down—it's dark, a little medicinal, and faint.
On me: Immediately on the skin there's a whiff of strong dark musk and something medicinal, almost cedary. The drydown is as faint and indescribable as the scent in the vial. It reminds me of Snake Oil, which also pulls a disappearing act on my skin; the hint of scent left behind is a similar combination of black vanilla, incense, patchouli, and musk, a scent which is faint and dirty and slightly "off." Scent-color is dark brown; throw is low, low as low can be, adhering to the skin.
Verdict: The Snake Oil family tends to do this to me: despite lovely, tempting descriptions and reviews, they're oddly faint and a little off on my skin, a skin-level hint of crusty vanilla with sundry dark bases. Smut follows the same trend, so the result on me is a simple disappointment—although perhaps not a surprise. Oh well! I'm glad I had a chance to try it, and I'll pass along my decant.
A Victorian fougere with three pale musks and dark, sugared vanilla tea.
In the vial: Sugared darkness, perhaps a hint of tea.
On me: This is the second time I've tested and tried to review this scent, and I'm running into the same problem I had before: I can't pick out notes and can barely describe my impressions. Not that it's faint or nondescript, just that the words fail me. Sweetish (but toned down from the bottle scent) by way of white sugar; a touch of lemon that gives a bit of etheral haze over the scent; the heart of the scent is what I find hardest to describe: something dark, a bit aged, but (because of the other notes) never heavy. That mystery heart is probably a combination of tea and musk, but honestly I don't get either note distinctly. Scent-color is brown, throw is moderate to low.
Verdict: I wish I were able to give a more precise description of this scent, but that escapes me. My inabilities aside, Dorian just doesn't grab me. It's pleasant enough and I wouldn't mind it on someone else, but it isn't to my taste—it leaves me with a distinct "meh" impression, and I wouldn't be drawn to wear it again. I'll give away my bottle.
THE HESPERIDES (GC, Bewitching Brews)
Their perfume is that of sturdy oak bark, dew-kissed leaves, twilight mist and crisp apple.
In the vial: Mostly golden apple, but there's something a little darker in the background. This reminds me oddly of a lighter, golden Fearful Pleasure—that's probably just the apple/wood combo, though.
On me: Yellow apple and musky wood. The apple is dominant, golden-yellow and slightly dewy—the aquatic goes a little strange on my skin, but mostly behaves itself. (When I first got this scent from the Lab, the aquatic made me nauseous; it's had some months to age, and that note has toned down a lot.) The woods aren't dark but they have a strange musky fuzz to them—or perhaps that's the leaves? Either way, there's a fuzzy, almost-powerderiness to the woods. Scent-color is yellow, throw is moderate to low.
Verdict: A not unpleasant scent, but not quite good. It's distinctive and it fits the notes and name, but to my nose the bright golden apple doesn't mesh well with the fuzzy musk/leaves, and while the combination isn't quite unsettling it is strange—and not in an intriguing way. I'm also not a fan of aquatics, even when well-behaved. In short, not offensive but a little strange, and not something I'll wear again. I'll pass my imp along.
MARY READ (GC, Bewitching Brews)
Salt air, ocean mist, aged patchouli, sarsaparilla, watered-down rum, leather-tinged musk, and a spray of gunpowder.
In the vial: Cologne. Spicy, alcohol-based cologne. That's probably the aquatic talking, echoed by the combination of rum/leather/musk/gunpowder.
On me: The cologne impression fades significantly after drydown. What's left behind is about what you'd expect: a spicy, but not sharp, mix of salt, musk, and plenty of grainy gunpowder (with a hint of vetiver smoke). I'm willing to bet that all the notes are in there, but those are the ones I perceive best. (But I get nothing floral, fruity, or sweet.) The scent has a lot of bite without quite growing harsh. Unfortunately, the vetiver somtimes amps too high, morphing from textured gunpowder into a much smoother smoke—in short, turning the scent into a mellow single note vetiver, which is nice enough but not really what Mary Read is meant to be. Scent-color is gray with a touch of brown; throw is moderate.
Verdict: I like Mary Read well enough when it's multifaceted, grainy, spicy, gunpowder-and-sea. It's a fascinating, unique scent, although not really a match to my personality—something I'd like to smell on someone else, I think. But the times when the vetiver amps are a bit disappointing—it strips most of the depth and personality from the scent. All in all, one I like but will pass on. It's just not something I'll wear.
SMUT (LE, Lupercalia 2006)
Three swarthy, smutty musks sweetened with sugar and woozy with dark booze notes.
In the vial: I'd wager boozy, fruity, and a touch musky, but really the scent is hard to pin down—it's dark, a little medicinal, and faint.
On me: Immediately on the skin there's a whiff of strong dark musk and something medicinal, almost cedary. The drydown is as faint and indescribable as the scent in the vial. It reminds me of Snake Oil, which also pulls a disappearing act on my skin; the hint of scent left behind is a similar combination of black vanilla, incense, patchouli, and musk, a scent which is faint and dirty and slightly "off." Scent-color is dark brown; throw is low, low as low can be, adhering to the skin.
Verdict: The Snake Oil family tends to do this to me: despite lovely, tempting descriptions and reviews, they're oddly faint and a little off on my skin, a skin-level hint of crusty vanilla with sundry dark bases. Smut follows the same trend, so the result on me is a simple disappointment—although perhaps not a surprise. Oh well! I'm glad I had a chance to try it, and I'll pass along my decant.
