DSH reviews (the other very long post).
African Musk: Muguet, violet, jasmine, musk. This one isn't half-bad, with deep florals swirling around the musk, but DSH musks are often too 'clean' smelling for me. While this isn't THAT DAMN MUSK X CRAP, it's still not quite right.
Ambre Antique type: Bergamot, mandarin, rosewood, Bulgarian rose absolute, heliotrope, jasmine, muguet, ambergris, musk, sandalwood, tonka bean, vanilla. This smells very clean and Old World, somehow. I couldn't put my finger on exactly why it seemed so familiar - and then I realised. I had a cleanser once, I can't remember which, that smelled like this. It was some sort of organic cleanser, not anything mainstream or antiseptic, so it's a really lovely smell, but I can't sniff this imp without feeling like I should go mop something. And since my entire house could actually use a good mopping - moving right along.
Arabian Sandalwood: Coconut, sandalwood, Virginia cedar, Atlas cedarwood, sandalwood. Amazing! Deep, complex, mysterious, this smells like every dream of sandalwood I've ever had - sweet from the coconut, woody from the cedar, breathy with sandalwood. There's a slight sour edge to it that concerns me, though; I don't think it would work for me.
Belle Époque: our Lalique type: Orange blossom, peach, violet, honeysuckle, jasmine, tuberose, amber, Atlas cedarwood, musk, sandalwood, vanilla. This is a light, fresh blend of orange blossom with resins and other florals. It's very chic, the kind of perfume that would be lovely for a night out on the town or for a savvy but sweet-natured young woman.
Chai Tea: Chai tea, chai tea, and chai tea. This also smells like chai tea (nooooooo), with the sole difference that Ceylon has a black tea edge to it, whereas this one is much milder, sweeter, and more dilute. If you like chai scents but don't like black tea notes, this is the one to try.
Ciara type: Bergamot, mandarin, neroli, Bulgarian rose absolute, jasmine, muguet, ylang-ylang, Atlas cedarwood, benzoin, moss, sandalwood, vanilla. I admit, I started out biased against this one because the word "Ciara," for some reason, really gets on my nerves. Having said that, this fragrance smells exactly like Ciara, and that's not a good thing. I remember now, because many people I knew who wore perfume had a bottle of this stuff. It was in all the drugstores for a long time - still is, I think. I'm so sick of This Smell that I can't even review it properly, because it's like, "Auuuugh! Ciara! It's That Stuff!" Blech.
Habanita type: Bergamot, peach, raspberry, Bulgarian rose absolute, jasmine, ylang-ylang, heliotrope, leather, musk, vanilla. That description doesn't really do this scent justice. Based on a 1924 fragrance, this is spicy-sweet, sultry, and brilliant, like a thick golden wind. (That was the first phrase that came to mind, and while it sounds utterly stupid, it also works, so I'm not changing it.) A really fine perfume and quite perfect for Miss jettcat.
Lumière: Bergamot, cardamom absolute, cinnamon leaf, coriander seed, nutmeg, almond milk accord, hazelnut, rum, sweet cream, amber, Australian sandalwood, coffee absolute, opoponax, Peru balsam. This just smells to me like holiday potpourri, the kind that wafts out of the windows of every single damn store during Christmastime, the sweet mixture of herbs and spices that actually has the magical power of repelling me from whatever store wafts it outward.
Soft Carnation: Carnation, carnation, and carnation. Are we noticing a theme yet? This is a sweeter, pretty carnation blend that lacks the spiciness and headiness of an actual carnation flower. It's perfumey, soft, and very feminine.
Tosca type: Lemon, orange blossom, Bulgarian rose absolute, jasmine, ylang-ylang, amber, musk, sandalwood, vanilla. This is fairly pedestrian. All of the notes listed, I can clearly smell, but there's nothing that interests me about the fragrance at all. Strange, to draw such a blank, but there you have it.
Tuberosa: Tuberose, tuberose, and tuberose. It's this scent that is the final nail in the coffin for me and convinces me that tuberose-the-flower is never quite capturable. While all of the tuberose perfumes I've tried have been interesting uses of the tuberose flower, there has never been anything - even the absolute-in-jojoba - that has made me stop and say, "Hey, it's a tuberose!" This one is very pretty and probably secondary only to Floris as a lovely wearable tuberose scent; it's also the closest to the flower I've tried. Sadly, it takes a plastic edge at final dry down.
Tunisian Amber: Amber, amber, and amber. "Spicy woody amber" is a perfect description for this blend. This reminds me of walking around outside in the mountains of Tennessee, that same sweet-sappy quality to the air. I think even people who don't normally like amber would enjoy this mild oil.