After years (literally) of dragging my feet and indecision over what scents to try, I finally ordered my first imps from BPAL on June 22. They arrived on Monday, July 7, and my husband Ben and I had a fun evening trying them out. Here are our thoughts.
Bastet
Bast, Ubasti, Ailuros, Ba-en-Aset. Represented as both a domestic cat and a fierce lioness, she truly evidences traits of both. She is the Mother of All Cats, Goddess of Sensuality, Fertility, and a guardian and protector of women. She is also one of the Eyes of Ra, and in that aspect is an Avenging Goddess, seeking retribution and punishing enemies of her people. Luxuriant amber, warm Egyptian musk, fierce saffron and soft myrrh, almond, cardamom and golden lotus.
Nice. Musky and herby. Definitely smell the musk, almond and cardamom. Gonna watch this one and smell as it develops. I think I like this one a little more than Ben does, but it's probably the next one I'll try all day.
Black Lotus
Born in the shadows of a Temple to Set, this corrupted Egyptian scent evokes images of black pyramids, river demons, and bleak, deadly desert sands. Black lotus flower, amber, myrrh and sandalwood.
Very feminine. Lavender is a little over-the-top, but will soften with wearing. Pretty. Would be better without so much lavender. Again, though, it's nice, and I think that will soften once it's been on for a little while.
Bliss
A shot of pure, self-indulgent euphoria! A scent that is very, very wicked in its own way: the serotonin-slathered scent of pure milk chocolate.
I really (really) like this scent, but Ben's not so crazy about it. Too foodie for his taste, though not objectionable (i.e., he wouldn't refuse to sit next to me or anything). Very almond-y, which is nice.
DeSade
The essence of pleasure heightened by pain: the raw scent of leather.
Smells really nice on Ben. Very leathery indeed, but there's a bit of a nuttiness too.
Fascinum
Hic habitat felicitas! The penis was a potent and popular symbol of good fortune, strength, power, and fertility in ancient Rome. Images of phalluses adorned Roman homes and shops, bringing the positive energy that the symbol represents into the lives of the inhabitants.
A freebie. Smells like cedar and something sweet. Maybe cloves? Too potpourri-like for our taste.
Florence
The pearl of the Italian Renaissance. Elegant iris, bright berries, gilded amber and velvety spices.
Romantic and fruity, with a bit of earthiness. A hint of delicious spices. We're pretty fond of this, although it actually works better on Ben. I'm actually wearing this today, and sadly, it smells too powdery on me.
Grog
Arrr! Avast ye, matey! This be the scent of pirate rum!
Freebie. Whew! Definitely smells like spiced rum. It's actually pretty nice, but I wouldn't wear this to work (unless I worked in a bar).
Hecate
Magnificent three-faced Goddess of Magic, the Dark Moon and the Crossroads. She is the Mother of Witches, and the midnight baying of hounds is her paean. Her compassion is evidenced in her role as Psychopomp for Persephone, and her wrath manifests as Medea's revenge. Deep, buttery almond layered over myrrh and dark musk.
Very almond-y, with some pine. The almond is great, although the pine is not so much. It makes it smell a little soapy. Must be the myrrh. Still, we like this one.
Hellcat
A soft, sensual, luxuriant blend with a wicked bite: hazelnut, buttercream, honey mead, rum and sweet almond.
Definitely can smell the almond and rum. It smells very much as advertised in the bottle, but on me, it's intriguingly strawberry cheesecake like. A fun scent. We like this one a lot.
Hellfire
A scent celebrating Sir Francis Dashwood's Order of the Knights of St. Francis of Wycombe, also known as the Hellfire Club. A swirl of pipe tobacco, hot leather, ambergris, dark musk and the lingering incense smoke from their Black Mass.
Men take note: this one's for you. One of the most complex scents of the first order. Awesome! Definitely can smell the tobacco (high quality, moist tobacco) and incense smoke. Love this one.
Iambe
Daughter of Pan and Echo and dear friend to Demeter. When Demeter was mourning the abduction of her daughter, Iambe was the only creature in heaven and earth that was able to lend cheer and laughter to the grieving mother. Her scent is one of comfort, beauty and joy: Sudanese amber, patchouli, rose, gardenia, gladiola and white tea.
Freebie. Don't like this one. Ben says it's too baby powder-y. I think it smells medicinal. Way too flowery for my personal taste.
Kali
Kali, the Black One, is the fearless Goddess of Destruction, Creation, Energy [in her Shakti aspect] and Dissolution. Also named Kaliratri [black Night] and Kalikamata [black Earth-Mother], she is the fiercest aspect of Devi, the supreme mother goddess. Kali is a protector Goddess, the destroyer of evil spirits and guardian of the faithful. She, along with her consort Shiva, represent the unending cycle of death and birth, sexual union, creation and destruction. Kali annihilates ignorance, maintains the natural order of the world, and blesses those who strive for spiritual awareness and knowledge of true holiness with infinite tenderness and motherly love. The constant, unending Work of Creation is called the "The Play of Kali". This perfume is a blend of the sacred blooms of cassia, hibiscus, musk rose, Himalayan wild tulip, lotus and osmanthus swirled with offertory dark chocolate, red wine, tobacco, balsam and honey.
Complex and sexy. Ben really likes this one (on me). It's got body, but also has a honeysuckle scent. A little dirty, with the chocolate, tobacco and wine scents. This one is a winner.
Kitsune-Tsuki
Kitsune-Tsuki are malevolent Japanese spirits, akin to western werebeasts: women are possessed by the spirits of foxes, who compel them to perform acts of wickedness and mischief. Asian plum, orchid, daffodil, jasmine and white musk.
A very feminine scent. Delicate, elegant and glamorous. Brings to mind high fashion. I would wear this on dress-up occasions, not everyday. We definitely like this one, though.
Rosalind
Dew-covered berries and fresh green grasses with a faint breath of spring flowers.
Freebie. Not bad. A very green scent. A little soapy, though.
Schrödinger's Cat
One can even set up quite ridiculous cases. A cat is penned up in a steel chamber, along with the following diabolical device (which must be secured against direct interference by the cat): in a Geiger counter there is a tiny bit of radioactive substance, so small that perhaps in the course of one hour one of the atoms decays, but also, with equal probability, perhaps none; if it happens, the counter tube discharges and through a relay releases a hammer which shatters a small flask of hydrocyanic acid. If one has left this entire system to itself for an hour, one would say that the cat still lives if meanwhile no atom has decayed. The first atomic decay would have poisoned it. The Psi function for the entire system would express this by having in it the living and the dead cat (pardon the expression) mixed or smeared out in equal parts. It is typical of these cases that an indeterminacy originally restricted to the atomic domain becomes transformed into macroscopic indeterminacy, which can then be resolved by direct observation. That prevents us from so naively accepting as valid a "blurred model" for representing reality. In itself it would not embody anything unclear or contradictory. There is a difference between a shaky or out-of-focus photograph and a snapshot of clouds and fog banks.
A paradoxical scent experiment! — tangerine, sugared lime, pink grapefruit, oakmoss, lavender, zdravetz, and chocolate peppermint.
No cats were mistreated during the formulation of this paradox, or in the process of creating this perfume.
Very complex. On me, the grapefruit scent is strong (and grapefruit isn't a very good body scent, in my opinion; it smells too much like sweat). It's a really neat scent, though. This would make a great scented candle or bubble bath.
Wrath
A scent aflame with rage, swirling in the red haze of hatred: dragon's blood spiked with black pepper, clove, and cinnamon.
This is kind of neat; for one thing, it's actually a reddish color. Very complex. You can definitely smell the cinnamon and clove. There's a bit too much clove, which makes it smell a little medicinal, and a LOT of cinnamon. It actually burns my nose. This is another one that I like, but not to wear. It would make a great scented candle, especially for fall and winter.
