court jester

This was the one I was dreading, 'cause chocolate & I don't get along. But when I put it on, the chocolate becomes a slightly dirty backup singer and the tobacco & sweet smoke come out and turn this into a stunner! Up close it smells funky, but the throw is OMG sexy!! It smells unisex, or maybe a dark strong feminine. Very nice :-)

Hmmmm..... this is strange. When I put it on, it was pure sesame. Not the oil, but the saw seeds. So light, it might not have been there at all. I was really looking forward to this one. Maybe it'll warm up and shine, or maybe I'll use it as a layering scent. To be retested.....

Yeah.... that 'cracking down on spending' thing has to happen here, too. But once my sampler pack rolls in, I may, um, shall we say budget creatively.....

Open Sesame will smell like sesame candy, which is mainly sesame and honey. There is supposed to be a secret spice, yes? Along with the resins, wood & sugar. I bought the sample pack this morning. They all sound so good!

Stalk-itty stalk stalk.........

Open Sesame looks interesting! A middle eastern blend, maybe? Oh... Girly Twirly *swoon*..... is that a carnation in her teeth? I love carnation blends! eta: hmmm...... it looks more like a rose, now that I look closely.

Oh jeez..... I have to watch my money this month, but this sounds lovely. Maybe I'll just watch my money go out the door *lol*

Oh I like this! It starts off tart citrus & licorice, then blends & calms & goes a bit floral. The tart is always there - it's so refreshing.........

Hmmmm.... so many of them look good! I see a sampler in my future. A few of them aren't going to do it for me, but ordering a sampler is more cost effective than buying individual samples. Of course, it's the ones I say "Uhhh.... I don't *think* so!" that turn out to be gorgeous on me

I do like this! Can't tell ya what's in it, but on me it smells clean, warm, a bit masculine. I see that there's bergamot & amber (2 winners). The spearmint must be blending with something else because I don't smell it. When I smell it I feel slightly more alert & calm. I likey!

Oh dear..... Well, at least I can breathe a sigh of relief. One I'm NOT in love with. Roses are icky on me and honey goes sour. I won't describe what it smells like because that would just be rude Gotta wash this off.

Already!?!?? Geez....... Well, if February's releases are gentle & spring-like again, then my wallet is in a heap of trouble

This one was MAPLE SYRUP and other stuff. It's not a cloying sticky foody scent; it's more a gentle sweet scent. Unfortunately, maple syrup and I don't get along. If you were to remove the maple syrup note and replace it with.... um....... cardamom and redwood, I'd adore it. It's actually not that bad for a maple scent. Just not something I can wear.

Dammit dammit dammit! Why do so many of the scents this month work so well on me!?!? I can not afford all these...... Yeah. At first it started as an almost soapy floral, and I was "yeah, whatever. No big thing." Then the soapiness disappeared and now it smells great! Delicate & girly while still being classy. I'm ready for spring!!

This is another clean clear scent on me. I love anything with woods, so this is delightful! The sweetness - which I didn't realize was fruit until I came here too check the notes - aren't overwhelming. If I had my way it would be heavier on the woods, but it's still a *tiny* touch masculine. Very pretty, will be good for spring. It fades fast, tho.

Wow. I knew this would be a clean & pretty scent but WOW. It doesn't strike me as aquatic, tho - which is good. Most aquatics go weird on me. I get a soft clean mint, sweetness, tea (green?), lime that doesn't scream "citrus!!!" on me, and - of course - musk. I don't remember what zucchini blossoms smell like, so I can't say if they're present. It doesn't matter, because this is a light clean summer scent. Perfect for todays almost 70 degree weather!

I put this on this morning and it was Myrrh, Earth & maybe white musk. I liked it. Slightly masculine, very clean. Didn't get much throw and the up close smell was okay. But then it dried and I'd get this lovely *very light* vanilla woody(?) clean smell wafting up. "What smells so nice? Oh! It's MEEEEE!" When I catch whiffs of it, it helps clean away mental clutter. Do I need a bottle? Maybe.......

This is the first one I tried (since it was first in line :-) ). In the vial it smelled like a combo of In the Mood and some really good incense. When I put it on, the In the Mood part went *poof* & disappeared. I was left with really good dry incense - not the headshop kind, but the kind you get at the funky hidden away import store in the nearest college town. Then some juicy purpley-red fruits came & joined in the fun. Now, I *love* good incense, but purple-red fruits have never been my thing, so I'm torn. Do I love it or not? I couldn't tell what it dried down to because I applied it before bed & fell asleep sniffing my wrists. I 'll retest this baby in the daytime.

This one aged into a big bowl of toasted grains with cream, sugar, and cut up plums. Veeerry cozy!

Pulled this one out last night. It much nicer aged, I think. When I smell it on me, I get visions of piles of white powder (ahem) and a handful of young green leaves. It smells like green & white & cool mountain air. Spices? Musk? Copal? Civet? Nope. Just clean & green/white. This'll be nice come springtime!

After a couple months of funky skin chemistry, I felt it was safe to try my LP's again. This was the first I pulled out, and wow has it changed! A gorgeous woody incense (incense cedar?) with a clean vibe from the florals. It's soft & pretty, but there's an underlying strength. After all this time, I'm finally figuring out what works on me - and this works!

Oooh! It looks like I picked the right time to return! Must. Buy. Sampler. Are the rest of the major arcana cards/scents in the works?

I hope I'm not too late! I just ordered the *hopefully December* sample set. When it first went up, finances were sketchy at best, but now...... the December ones sound so yummy I had to have them. Silly perfume oil addiction. But the January releases look awesome, too. Whatever shall I do??

I'd really like a spiced pumpkin incense, maybe pumpkin chai being drunk at a headshop.......

I saw that! I just worry that it won't be quite the same - altered recipe, differently sourced oils, really paranoid stuff *LOL*. I should just do it, because it really is an investment (since they age so well)!