Some good old-fashioned GC testing, people!
Devil's Claw - this truly is bright (yellow) and smoky black at the same time. How'd they manage that? Sadly, doesn't quite suit my body chemistry.
Wanton - ooh-er, rose attar likes me in this blend with sandalwood and patchouli. Holding onto my imp for further testing! It does smell of something else I've tried before in the Ars Amatoria I think. It's very Indian and sensual.
Tintagel - lavenderish vibe at first, then berries. I don't get all the notes listed but that's okay. Keeping imp for further testing.
Velvet - at first, this is the gentlest chocolate fragrance ever, but sadly goes sour. I guess it's to be expected as milk chocolate BPAL doesn't tend to like me.
Phantom Queen - floral - old-fashioned, clean florals. Apple blossom and meadowsweet love me, and it's just perfect for this summer day.
Magdalene - very sober blend - labdanum is a little too musty, and was worried that white roses wouldn't like me. Sadly, this has virtually no throw on me. It's a pretty quiet blend, but that's fine.
Vicomte de Valmont - very understated cologne. About half of the notes in this I love, and half hate me quite a bit. The sandalwood and musk are most prominent on me but the mint bothers me.
This was something of a cheer-up/Christmas present to myself. The most bottles I've ever ordered!
Snow White 2008 (because I forgot that I actually already ordered one, duh!)
Belle Epoque
Zorya
Thalia
Snake Charmer Resurrected
Candy Phoenix
Pickled Imp
Tabella - though this was a mistake of the Lab's - I actually ordered Tabula Smargadina. Have e-mailed them though
Frimps: Sri Lanka, Scherezade, Les Bijoux, Pontarlier, Sudha Segara, Nanshe, Siren, Kurukulla, The Hesperides, Dove's Heart, Independent*, Amsterdam, Sin, Jezebel, Intrigue, Catherine.
Am chuffed with the frimpage. Have tried many of these but wow, Lab is generous!
I just realised that I got an extra bottle of Snow White because the decanter I bought Yule decants from sent me it instead of Snow Bunny!
So, I had an excuse for another order...
Water of Notre Dame
Dove's Heart
Bezoar
Snow Bunny
Beaverversary
Earth Phoenix
Yep, all 5mLs.
I need more 5mLs like I need a shot in the head...sheesh *grin*.
It's the Yules! Am writing more detailed notes in my imp journal, but here are some of my thoughts in summary about the Yules. I got a set of decants of all of them.
Le Pere Fouettard - I had to look up what 'gaufrette' was - a thin, fan shaped waffle wafer. Nice, not too foody at first, then whip leather makes an appearance, and gradually takes over the foodiness. When leather is at its strongest, the liquorice becomes known to my nose. An artful blend, but not something I would wear.
There's A Certain Slant of Light - ozonic, barely there. Very little staying power on my skin, which is fine really, am not too fond of these sorts of blends, as they tend to smell very male-colognesque on me. It smells minty in the vial.
Visiting the Temple of Auspicious Fortune Alone On the Winter Solstice - definitely get the rain at first! Wow! Then it gets musty, rather than dusty, and has an Eastern/Oriental feel. Much later it starts to get incense-ish. Again, not one I'd wear, or scent my environs with.
Lines Written Among the Euganean Hills - a more complex version of The Snow Maiden - sleety, chilly and berryish, but then it gets rather minty to my nose.
The Magi - I don't think I appreciate the complexity of this blend. I get the frankincense but it's too hard to tell what the other things are.
Perchta - has the characteristic BPAL chilly note, which is lovely. A hint of something spicy, then all the florals come out. Am keeping my imp.
The Head of Holofernes - wine and pomegranate are evident at first. This is actually quite lovely, and will be keeping my imp. Don't so much detect other notes, and had to look up what onycha was!
Butter Rum Cookie - just as the name says! Has almond, which is behaving on me (BPAL almond does not like me so much) but does get a little cloying after a while. It is yummy, though.
Gelt - wow, smells exactly like the coins. I love cocoa, and am surprised that the amber is quite muted in this blend. Will end up retesting.
Midnight Mass 2008 - am surprised it doesn't have more throw, but is really true to its name: smells exactly like mass incense. Be a nice blend to wear at nighttime. I actually got a bottle of this straight-off rather than just a decant.
Snow White 2008 - got 2 bottles by accident! No matter, it means I don't have to use sparingly, and will be my actual fragrance on Christmas Day.
Bottle-worthy: The Head of Holofernes, Midnight Mass 2008 (got bottle), Snow White 2008 (got 2 bottles).
Keeping imps: Perchta, Butter Rum Cookie, Gelt.
I've had some time off work to do what it is I *really* like to do (poetry stuff, that which earns no money you understand...) and in the meantime have found some imps lying around that had yet to be tested. I really need to get back into the routine of testing, seeing as I still order LE decants!
Manners Among Men and Women in the Red Light District - a light woody scent. Slightly feminine, and very refined. The blonde wood is lovely because it's so light and melds so well with the apricot. Even with the apricot, I think this would be fantastic on a fellow. I don't think it has much throw on me, but this is due to personal body chemistry rather than the fragrance. I think on the right person this will sing beautifully.
The Music of Erich Zahn - all just dirty vetiver on me, I'm afraid. I did briefly test on a male friend and it was so much more rich and complex. But I am fond of BPAL's vetiver - it's very rich and reminds me of fragrant dirt or soil with a burnt aroma added in.
Litha 2009 - very, very floral. Most dominant is the honeysuckle. That does die down and it becomes more honeyed later on. I won't be keeping my decant.
Nyarlatholep - not really a big fan of ozonic scents, but this one I did quite like - probably because of the incense. That isn't quite enough for me in the end - the wateriness comes back and overpowers the incense. It's pretty nice as far as the oceanic scents go, for me.
Villain - this will be devastatingly debonair on a lad, but I quite like it on me, even though there isn't much throw. The lime is just gorgeous and it's a subtle fragrance that speaks volumes precisely because of its subtlety. Might be an excuse to get a new bedtime scent that's unisex...!
Schwarzer Mond - the resurrected one. Wow. This is punchy! Dark, and sexy too. Am so glad I got this in 5mL form! It just gets better and better on my skin, and smells magnificent from afar (ie. when my nose is not glued to my wrist!)
The Gaoler's Daughter - wet, peach! As it dries down, the gardenia becomes more prominent. Such a girlie, flirty scent, am surprised there aren't more reviews for it. It's a very innocent yet cheeky blend. Not sure if it worth a bottle.
Pickled Imp - Very strong of cloves, then cinnamon and pine come out. Doesn't seem so vanilla-ish, but will let it age a bit or stand and this should improve it. I initially got this confused with Bezoar, which I may actually prefer.
Belle Epoque - fresh bottle, needs ageing, as imp had much more vanilla. It'll be a bedtime scent for me. It is gorgeous, and subtle and timeless.
That's it for now, or I risk sensory overload!
Fri 1/5
Geek - just a sniffie! Very heavy on the leather, then cedar, pine and such as listed. A nice gentlemanly, old-world fragrance. Wasn't I lucky to get to try!
Tue 26/5
Eanach Dhuin - LE decant. A sweet, feminine fragrance - however I do not find it conveys grief, as it's just too cheerful for me. One of the girlier ones I've liked.
The Ides of March 2009 - LE decant. I find this quite mind-clearing and clarifying. I didn't initially think anything of it, but I'm now rather drawn to it. Might take to work with me to help my mind stay focussed on things.
I retested a few 5mL bottles I had to try and figure out whether or not I should find them new homes. These were:
Tiresias, The Androgyne - a lot of people are saying they want to stock up on this. I bought a secondhand bottle, only half-full to try and its throw on me is amazing and it's quite unique, but not something I'm enamoured with. I do have a home for it though...have a girlfriend who was rather partial to it. Will give to her!
The Perfumed Garden 2006 - I love the jasmine in this, but not super-keen on the rest. Am genuinely torn, no idea if I should get rid of it or what.
Libra 2007 - bah, rose! This didn't like me at the beginning, and still doesn't.
The Emathides - oh my, this has developed into a beautiful, herbal blackcurrant scent. The fruitiness is very subtle, however. The throw is not as strong as I'd like but I can't bear to get rid of it.
Stay: The Emathides.
Go: Libra 2007, Tiresias.
Undecided: The Perfumed Garden 2006.
Black Cat - smells wonderful. Spicy, rosy sort of scent. Am very much hoping it will do what it says it can do! Perhaps I didn't put on enough.
The Lion - oh wow, I like amber, but this is just heavenly. Sunny, spicy and slightly sweet.
The Lab gave me squillions of imps and so I've started testing them.
Les Bijoux - bah, hates me. Reason? Rose. I can smell a lot of the other notes, but not the ones I love. Yeah, red apple doesn't much like me either. Sigh.
Intrigue - ooh, this is sexy, in a very understated way. A little too dry for me, though the fig does sweeten it up ever so slightly. I don't detect the cocoa which was a bit disappointing. I won't keep it but would love to see what it smells like the on menfolk.
Sin - a much less intense version of Smut I feel! But no throw on me, odd given that Smut has amazing throw on me. Wanted to keep my decant, but it dried to nothing on me and became crayonish. Shame.
Amsterdam - I don't know what tulips smell like, but this is lovely, it's a very fresh floral, sort of green yet watery too.
Sri Lanka - first is fresh sandalwood, then incense-like sandalwood mixed with cedar. The cedar is nice too, but this has such a gorgeous sandalwood. It stops smelling so sandalwood-laden, however.
Nanshe - smells like lemon balm at first, then becomes a lemon scent that sort of gives me a bit of a headache. However, I do know that this is supposed to do something, so wore it nevertheless overnight. Oddly, I didn't recall my dreams though slept a bit better than usual, so don't know if it helps with the interpretation of dreams. I suspect that this is something you have to use over an extended period of time?
