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juushikaTHE DORMOUSE (GC, Mad Tea Party)
A dizzying eddy of four teas brushed with light herbs and a breath of peony.
In the vial: Sharp, slightly astringent herbal—or perhaps tea, which isn't a note I'm good at recognizing for itself.
On me: The Dormouse is a full of notes I don't recognize and therefore find hard to describe—so bear with me. If someone told me this was tea, herbs, and peony, I'd believe them; what I get is a clean herbal scent that's not fresh or crisp, nor powdery or dry—it's more like a tincture. Magikfanfic wrote, "The tea and the herbs combine effortlessly to form a very light green/light brown scent, the way I picture of cup of herbal tea after having been brewed," which is a better description than I can come up with, save that the color is a bit more intense to my nose. There's a citric sharpness in the background, and a bit of floral body and sweetness up front. The overall scent is surprisingly familiar, but that may just be because my roommate wears it. Post-drydown it settles to a low throw, but isn't shy at skin-level. Not sure about wear length, as I plan to wash this off.
Verdict: This isn't at all a scent for me because tea just isn't my thing, but it's fine on someone else. It holds a pleasant balance between being likable and retaining a unique personality, and it's a scent I easily and immediately recognize after just one test. I just don't need any.
DEVIL'S CLAW (GC, Rappaccini's Garden)
A yellow-bright and smoky brown-black scent, horned, pronged and strange.
In the vial: Primarily vetiver, but there's something under it which is smoother and more colorful.
On me: This goes on as something golden, smooth and subtle, and slightly sweet. Drydown offers up almost nothing but a hint of background smoke. It takes a few minutes for this scent to perk up again, but when it does it's vetiver and citrus. The vetiver is surprisingly smooth, a wisp of saturated, savory smoke; the citrus is similar to orange oil (rather than blossom or flesh). The two aspects don't quite mesh—for a while they each appear and disappear, less like a morphing scent and more like two separate perfumes; with time they begin to find more overlap, but it takes hours for them to become consistent and by then the scent has slipped into the background. It's yellow-bright and smoky black-brown, and certainly strange, but Devil's Claw never quite melds into a united scent—the two aspects are desperate in both character and presence in the blend. The throw wavers and spikes, averaging out at moderate; wear-length is long, but throw dies down near the end.
Verdict: This is one of the better vetivers I've ever smelled—it's almost creamy-smooth, thick but mild, never harsh, half sensual and utterly delightful. It's also one of the best orange citruses I've ever tried—they tend to pale out on my skin, but this one is thick, vivid, and satisfying. But the fact that those two aspects never quite merge into a single scent is a disappointment—it feels unbalanced and unfinished. If they did, would I like this? I think so: the dimorphous golden shadow that lingers near the end is beautiful and unique, but too subtle and too long in coming. On the whole, Devils' Claw is more weird than wearable. I find myself unexpectedly pleased by what it tries to do, but what it achieves isn't quite good enough.
SCHRÖDINGER'S CAT (GC, Bewitching Brews)
A paradoxical scent experiment! - tangerine, sugared lime, pink grapefruit, oakmoss, lavender, zdravetz, and chocolate peppermint.
In the vial: Basically, I have no idea. Green but not fresh, herbal but not dusty, perhaps there's a bit of moss and a touch of fruit in there. It's a clean, faint, but not indistinct scent, and it's so far outside my realm of experience that it's hard for me to describe.
On me: Fruit and herbs on application, but the combination is surprisingly non-foody. The herbs amp with wear—I think it's a combination of moss and lavender that I'm getting, which is dry but not dusty, herbal but not medicinal, almost a clean scent. There are fruits in here which give the scent body, but they're primarily light citrus; they have no bite, but nor are they the juicy, sweet and/or robust fruits I expect in fruity/floral blends. It's a surprisingly dry scent despite the fruits; not very vivid, for all the color and variation in the notes; it sure is unusual, though, and distinct, and difficult to describe. This is something of a desaturated, mattified version of a fruity floral, with a heavy helping of lavender. There's nothing of the chocolate peppermint, to my nose. After about two hours it fades to just herbal lavender backed by some fruit; soon after it all but disappears. Scent-color is reminiscent of a watercolor painting. Throw is fairly low.
Verdict: This is almost as strange and unique as I was expecting, in part because of the contradictory notes, in part because it's a twisted mimic of more traditional scents—but I still feel like I'm missing something. It isn't quite vivid enough to live up to its description, and lacks punch. It also doesn't last long, which adds to the sense of disappointment. Regardless, this just isn't a scent for me.
FIRE OF LOVE (GC, Bewitching Brews: Conjure Bag)
A catalytic, potent love oil used to spark (or rekindle) the flame of desire between lovers.
In the vial: Vetiver.
On me: It warms on the skin—some fire joins the char, and the scent grows broader and smoother. The other note is probably musk—sometimes it has the warmth of red, but it also exhibits the cuddly and mildly villanic nature that brown has on my skin. With wear, the scent balances more and more towards musk. Vetiver still touches it with some warmth and smoky shadow, but this is largely a rich, warm, sensuous musk, just barely fuzzy, spiked with a mild sweetness that resembles brown sugar. Whatever the exact notes, it's gorgeous on my skin. Scent color is somewhere between auburn and burnt umber. Wear length is moderate to long, but the throw dies down to low after the first few hours.
Verdict: I love it—but that's mostly because I love musk and vetiver. In itself, Fire of Love isn't a particularly unique scent—it begins as mostly vetiver, ends as mostly musk, and doesn't have a strong independent identity. But musk in particular is fantastic on my skin, and this is a lovely all-rounder in that category: smooth, warm, barely sweet, cuddly but sensuous, straight up but beautiful musk. It reminds me to wear musk more often, but it isn't a must-have musk in its own right simply because it's not unique. Still, this is the only wearable Conjure Bag that I've ever tried and as such a fantastic surprise and, however, unoriginal, still lovely.
COME TO ME (GC, Bewitching Brews: Conjure Bag)
A phenomenally powerful attractant. Sexual and commanding in the extreme.
In the vial: Floral. There's a white floral in here, but on the whole it's a mixed, sweet, strong floral with a hint of soap.
On me: This is familiar but I can't name it, probably because florals aren't my strength. But there's probably some rose in here, because this is a pink, moderately fleshy floral. It's not as cloying as drugstore perfume, but does remind me of Glade by way of BPAL: a mixed and well-rounded, but absolutely unabashed, almost pure floral. It's on the sweet side without going sharp, and has the fullness that I associate with fruity-florals without any actual fruit. There may be a hint of herbs—just enough to counteract the floral tendency towards a cloying airiness. I don't get soap, but again this is a more natural take on a scent that might be added to soap. As potent as the florals are, they're surprisingly likable; I amp rose horrendously, so I may get more of it than others, but to my surprise it hasn't reached death note levels. Scent-color is somewhere between opaque white and amaranth. Throw is moderate low, but I only applied a dot. Wearlength is better than short, but I'll wash it off soon.
Verdict: This is more than entirely not my style—it's not a scent I want to wear or to smell or to ever encounter, if I can help it. But for all that, Come to Me is surprisingly pleasant. It has all the hallmarks of a potent, unabashed mixed floral, the sort of thing I'd expect in an air freshener or soap, without the offensive chemical haze that usually comes with them. I never need to wear it again, but it wasn't bad to test.
A dizzying eddy of four teas brushed with light herbs and a breath of peony.
In the vial: Sharp, slightly astringent herbal—or perhaps tea, which isn't a note I'm good at recognizing for itself.
On me: The Dormouse is a full of notes I don't recognize and therefore find hard to describe—so bear with me. If someone told me this was tea, herbs, and peony, I'd believe them; what I get is a clean herbal scent that's not fresh or crisp, nor powdery or dry—it's more like a tincture. Magikfanfic wrote, "The tea and the herbs combine effortlessly to form a very light green/light brown scent, the way I picture of cup of herbal tea after having been brewed," which is a better description than I can come up with, save that the color is a bit more intense to my nose. There's a citric sharpness in the background, and a bit of floral body and sweetness up front. The overall scent is surprisingly familiar, but that may just be because my roommate wears it. Post-drydown it settles to a low throw, but isn't shy at skin-level. Not sure about wear length, as I plan to wash this off.
Verdict: This isn't at all a scent for me because tea just isn't my thing, but it's fine on someone else. It holds a pleasant balance between being likable and retaining a unique personality, and it's a scent I easily and immediately recognize after just one test. I just don't need any.
DEVIL'S CLAW (GC, Rappaccini's Garden)
A yellow-bright and smoky brown-black scent, horned, pronged and strange.
In the vial: Primarily vetiver, but there's something under it which is smoother and more colorful.
On me: This goes on as something golden, smooth and subtle, and slightly sweet. Drydown offers up almost nothing but a hint of background smoke. It takes a few minutes for this scent to perk up again, but when it does it's vetiver and citrus. The vetiver is surprisingly smooth, a wisp of saturated, savory smoke; the citrus is similar to orange oil (rather than blossom or flesh). The two aspects don't quite mesh—for a while they each appear and disappear, less like a morphing scent and more like two separate perfumes; with time they begin to find more overlap, but it takes hours for them to become consistent and by then the scent has slipped into the background. It's yellow-bright and smoky black-brown, and certainly strange, but Devil's Claw never quite melds into a united scent—the two aspects are desperate in both character and presence in the blend. The throw wavers and spikes, averaging out at moderate; wear-length is long, but throw dies down near the end.
Verdict: This is one of the better vetivers I've ever smelled—it's almost creamy-smooth, thick but mild, never harsh, half sensual and utterly delightful. It's also one of the best orange citruses I've ever tried—they tend to pale out on my skin, but this one is thick, vivid, and satisfying. But the fact that those two aspects never quite merge into a single scent is a disappointment—it feels unbalanced and unfinished. If they did, would I like this? I think so: the dimorphous golden shadow that lingers near the end is beautiful and unique, but too subtle and too long in coming. On the whole, Devils' Claw is more weird than wearable. I find myself unexpectedly pleased by what it tries to do, but what it achieves isn't quite good enough.
SCHRÖDINGER'S CAT (GC, Bewitching Brews)
A paradoxical scent experiment! - tangerine, sugared lime, pink grapefruit, oakmoss, lavender, zdravetz, and chocolate peppermint.
In the vial: Basically, I have no idea. Green but not fresh, herbal but not dusty, perhaps there's a bit of moss and a touch of fruit in there. It's a clean, faint, but not indistinct scent, and it's so far outside my realm of experience that it's hard for me to describe.
On me: Fruit and herbs on application, but the combination is surprisingly non-foody. The herbs amp with wear—I think it's a combination of moss and lavender that I'm getting, which is dry but not dusty, herbal but not medicinal, almost a clean scent. There are fruits in here which give the scent body, but they're primarily light citrus; they have no bite, but nor are they the juicy, sweet and/or robust fruits I expect in fruity/floral blends. It's a surprisingly dry scent despite the fruits; not very vivid, for all the color and variation in the notes; it sure is unusual, though, and distinct, and difficult to describe. This is something of a desaturated, mattified version of a fruity floral, with a heavy helping of lavender. There's nothing of the chocolate peppermint, to my nose. After about two hours it fades to just herbal lavender backed by some fruit; soon after it all but disappears. Scent-color is reminiscent of a watercolor painting. Throw is fairly low.
Verdict: This is almost as strange and unique as I was expecting, in part because of the contradictory notes, in part because it's a twisted mimic of more traditional scents—but I still feel like I'm missing something. It isn't quite vivid enough to live up to its description, and lacks punch. It also doesn't last long, which adds to the sense of disappointment. Regardless, this just isn't a scent for me.
FIRE OF LOVE (GC, Bewitching Brews: Conjure Bag)
A catalytic, potent love oil used to spark (or rekindle) the flame of desire between lovers.
In the vial: Vetiver.
On me: It warms on the skin—some fire joins the char, and the scent grows broader and smoother. The other note is probably musk—sometimes it has the warmth of red, but it also exhibits the cuddly and mildly villanic nature that brown has on my skin. With wear, the scent balances more and more towards musk. Vetiver still touches it with some warmth and smoky shadow, but this is largely a rich, warm, sensuous musk, just barely fuzzy, spiked with a mild sweetness that resembles brown sugar. Whatever the exact notes, it's gorgeous on my skin. Scent color is somewhere between auburn and burnt umber. Wear length is moderate to long, but the throw dies down to low after the first few hours.
Verdict: I love it—but that's mostly because I love musk and vetiver. In itself, Fire of Love isn't a particularly unique scent—it begins as mostly vetiver, ends as mostly musk, and doesn't have a strong independent identity. But musk in particular is fantastic on my skin, and this is a lovely all-rounder in that category: smooth, warm, barely sweet, cuddly but sensuous, straight up but beautiful musk. It reminds me to wear musk more often, but it isn't a must-have musk in its own right simply because it's not unique. Still, this is the only wearable Conjure Bag that I've ever tried and as such a fantastic surprise and, however, unoriginal, still lovely.
COME TO ME (GC, Bewitching Brews: Conjure Bag)
A phenomenally powerful attractant. Sexual and commanding in the extreme.
In the vial: Floral. There's a white floral in here, but on the whole it's a mixed, sweet, strong floral with a hint of soap.
On me: This is familiar but I can't name it, probably because florals aren't my strength. But there's probably some rose in here, because this is a pink, moderately fleshy floral. It's not as cloying as drugstore perfume, but does remind me of Glade by way of BPAL: a mixed and well-rounded, but absolutely unabashed, almost pure floral. It's on the sweet side without going sharp, and has the fullness that I associate with fruity-florals without any actual fruit. There may be a hint of herbs—just enough to counteract the floral tendency towards a cloying airiness. I don't get soap, but again this is a more natural take on a scent that might be added to soap. As potent as the florals are, they're surprisingly likable; I amp rose horrendously, so I may get more of it than others, but to my surprise it hasn't reached death note levels. Scent-color is somewhere between opaque white and amaranth. Throw is moderate low, but I only applied a dot. Wearlength is better than short, but I'll wash it off soon.
Verdict: This is more than entirely not my style—it's not a scent I want to wear or to smell or to ever encounter, if I can help it. But for all that, Come to Me is surprisingly pleasant. It has all the hallmarks of a potent, unabashed mixed floral, the sort of thing I'd expect in an air freshener or soap, without the offensive chemical haze that usually comes with them. I never need to wear it again, but it wasn't bad to test.
