A few FO reviews

[cedar_lea]

So I've been a bad forum member. I've been enjoying & appreciating your FO reviews, but not posting any myself! So I'm going to rectify the situation and post my OOB reviews. I've only used 3 in a sanitizer so far and done some Q-tip tests so I don't have alot of performance info yet.

WSP:

Brown Sugar: Some maple notes but all and all sugary and slightly carmelly. I'm happy with it.

Vanilla: I read a few good reviews on this one. It's pretty basic. It kind of smells like cheap vanilla candles, but it also kind of smells like vanilla frosting so it's a little better than that. It should be a decent blender.

Patchouli: There's a story behind this one. I was looking to replace some Aroma Cacia EO I'd used in a blend & couldn't afford to replace. It's a mediocre patchouli EO with a slight medicinal scent that's warm and earthy but not the amazing swoon-over patchouli EO that people typically talk about. Someone on another forum suggested I try this one & it is identical. I'm happy

Birthday Cake: I smell alot of rum in this, along with yellow & white cake scents. I've been told this is one I can't judge OOB and the rum notes decreased some with the Q tip scent, but didn't go away. I'll have to play with it before I can actually form an opinion.

Sandalwood: Also happy with this one. It's rich and spicey. I would like to find one that's a little more powdery & woody, but there is no doubt that this is good and true.

Bamboo Teak: I don't know why I ordered this. I guess I saw the teak and got excited & forgot that I hadn't really liked most the bamboo scents I'd smelled. It's actually not bad. Cologne-like but not in a Stetson sort of way. It's a pretty classy scent with a nice green-ness to it, a little bit of woody notes, and a hint of floral (I want to say honeysuckle). Still don't know why I ordered it but I'll find a way to play with it.

Candlemakers Store:

Tangy Citron: This is a huge find for me. It's not a common scent but it's one I used in one of the first blends I ever did & one I really wanted to have. It's a nice tart citrus that's somewhere between grapefruit, orange, and lemongrass. Very eye opening and energizing scent

Bergamont Tea: WAY floral. Light citrus bergamont note and alot of something that I want to say is jasmine or gardenia. I don't get the tea at all. This shouldn't be a huge surprize because I rarely do, but it's definately not what I was expecting & I don't know what I'll do with it.

Chocolate Fudge Icing: Smells exactly like the Betty Crocker icing from the tub!

Coconut Bay: Nice blend of coconut and bay leaf. I'd say the coconut is more of a creamy one but the bay keeps it from smelling like sunblock & gives it a wonderful crispness. I like it

Coconut Cream: OOB smells like Hawaiin Tropic. Seriously. I work in suncare & I know that smell! If my Q-tip test is any indication it does mellow out to a lighter more creamy coconut in product, but I'm very glad it wasn't the only coconut I ordered

Smooth Bourbon: I am in love! It has some carmel notes, but it also has wonderful whiskey notes. I joke that it smells like candied Jaymeson. It actualy has a rich complex masculinity that is absolutely yummy. I huff it way more than I should & keep being shocked how much I like it.

Rum: Carmelly. Smells alot like Rum Extract. It's not bad but not what I was hoping for when I think of a yummy bottle of rum for my pirate scent. However blending it, bourbon, and coconut bay did the trick so I'm happy.

NG:

Drag Strip: I've been dreaming about playing with this for awile. I get a little more exhaust that I expected from other reviews, but it definately has the classic auto shop smell. I'm worried that it might be difficult to blend because it's subtle but I'm excited to finally play with it and try to turn engine greese into something elegant.

Apricot: Reviews said this was very true. At this point I'm leaning towards close. It's got the fuzzy scent of apricots and the sweet of apricot necter & then it has a tart that is a little more like an orange than an apricot. That said I'm definately not disliking it and think it will be fun to play with.

Boston Tea Party: The jury's out on this one. The first time I smelled it I was totally excited. I smelled black tea and lemon with a hit of honey like sweet. . . . . today I smell lots of lemon and lilly of the valley. I might smell a hint of tea. Today it smells like a lemony version of AHRE Rooibas. . . . . I could have sworn that I'd finally found a tea that smells like tea. . . . but today I'm not sure. I'm also not sure where I got the sweet honey smell before.

Myrrh: I'm getting an anise note & it's definately not as powdery as I'd expect Myrrh to be. Disappointing because I really love the smell of myrrh.

Neroli: Beautiful and rich. Can definately identify it as neroli. It may be sweeter and a little more cordial-like than other neroli's I've smelled, but it's yummy & I'm happy

Lemongrass: There is an interesting clean note to this. If Downy make a lemongrass dryer sheet this is how it would smell. It's not bad, just ingeresting.

Bergamont: Absolutely perfect. Smells slightly like lavender & slightly like citrus just like the tea. Dead on & I'm so glad to finally have it!

Cypress: Accuate. Smells more like the pitch than aged wood or needles, but there's a hint of that too.

Camphor: I got confused and thought I was ordering Cardimom. Nope. This is camphor! Smells like vicks, just like it should. Now what will I do with this one!

Alyssum: OK I knew I'd like this one before I picked it up because folks used it in the Spring Swap. Nice creamy floral similar to freesia, but distinctly it's own. Sweet but not too sweet & yummy

[JanetsCandles]

That's funny. I guess I smell myrrh weirdly. It usually has a very sweet note to it, almost a maple syrup smell. But it's the same either from the resin itself or the essential oil as it is in the FO that I'm using. Weird stuff.

I've been looking for a cypress scent. Used to have a cypress tree in Louisiana and haven't found a scent to match it yet. I'll probably try that one out.

[cedar_lea]

The cypress is from thier Nature Identical collection. You have to go into budget fragrances to find it so it can be a little tricky. The Myrrh, Neroli, Bergamont, & Camphor are too.

I agree with you about myrrh typically having a sweet maple smell. I find it soft powdery & that's what I meant was missing. I actually love myrrh. I'm just not getting it from this one. I don't know why it's like that. It's wierd.

[JanetsCandles]

I got my last bottle of Myrrh from C&S. That's the one that smelled just like the EO for me. Might see how it works for you.

Thanks for the info too

[Scented]

Good luck on Drag Strip as the only throw I got was out of the bottle.

[AlwaysWondering]

Wonderful review. You're really good with notes!

[cedar_lea]

Good luck on Drag Strip as the only throw I got was out of the bottle.

I'm actually planning on blending it with bergamont and some nice rich woody scents (I'll probobly throw in the bamboo and teak here) to make a steampunk scent and using it in M&P so hopefully it should be able to handle that. I couldn't imagine using it for much more than a fun novalty scent. Thanks for the info thought. If I decide to try putting it in tarts I'll know not to expect too much.

Edited July 4, 2011 by cedar_lea