Originally reviewed: Jan 02 06
In the Imp: Pine and something faintly sweet.
On Wet: PINE TREE. Super crazy pine-aliciousness. I concur with many of the reviews previous to mine: this is the freshest, most realisitc evergreen smell I have ever come across. It's positively gorgeous.
Drydown: The intense pine mellows slightly. If I put my nose to my wrist, I can smell a vaguely sweet undertone mixing beautifully with an almost effervescent, Sprite-like bubbliness (the pop, not the fairytale critter.) I actually get the same aquatic-bubbly-sweet combo in Talvikuu, though it's much more pronounced in that blend. It's the evergreen that dominates *this* scent, and that's certainly not a bad thing, imo.
Overall: This is 99% tree, 1% something fizzy, and zero berries or anything else. I think it's a perfect holiday fragrance, most definitely suitable for wearing or burning. As for me, I'll be using my imp for the former - I rather enjoy smelling like a Christmas tree.
In the imp: Wow - it really does smell like gingerale!
On wet: Ginger, woodiness, a touch of sweetness, and something else - something almost powdery underneath all the other notes.
Drydown: Boo...it's gone to pure soapy powder! Soap flakes with mixed with dusty plastic, at that - reminiscent of the icky drydown I get from orchid scents.
Overall: I've had this decant for almost two years now, hanging on in the hopes that it would age into something that liked me ('cause I rather liked it!), but, sadly, this has not happened. It's STILL not for me.
In the imp: Mmm...smells very similar to Mme. Moriarty! Sweet and musky and fruity.
On wet: A much higher-pitched sweetness than Moriarty - due to a lotus-y culprit, methinks.
Drydown: Sweet-sweet-sweeeeet! And kinda perfumey, too. The musky, fruity aspects of the blend are great - and even the usually-awful-orchid is behaving - but this uber sweetness (lotus *and* mimosa? Not familiar with the latter to know) just isn't working for me.
Overall: With only a scant few exceptions, BPAL's mega sweet stuff doesn't seem to jive with my chemistry, my nose, or my health (headaches! tummy aches! toothaches - seriously!). Marianne isn't making me queasy, thankfully, but I think wearing it in full force for most of the day, rather than just the wee test spot I've got going on right now, definitely would - it's just that heady and sweet. For anyone who wanted a kick of candy in their Moriarty, this scent's for you! 3/5
In the imp: Sweet powder and myrrh.
On wet: Sweet powder and myrrh - maybe a touch of wood.
Drydown: Leather and woodsmoke for a good while, then...smoked powder. Bleh. The red musk never showed, either.
Overall: Evil powder scent = not for me. Amber never fails to disappoint on my skin, and myrrh's becoming more and more troublesome for some reason. This blend pulls a 2/5, thanks to my wannabe Dominatrix chemistry.
In the imp: Paint (I get that a lot, for some reason ) and the faintest hint of something sour.
On wet: The sourness is more pronounced, though there's a hint of almost herbal sweetness underneath. I'm not getting any note specifically at this point.
Drydown: I smell sandalwood first. Oh, and there's the ylang - I'm becoming more appreciative of ylang ylang, so I'm glad it's a somewhat dominant presence in this blend so far. When I inhale deeply, I get a dry, almost dusty sweetness that reminds me of that orange sugar powder you'd get in in a Fun Dip (or Lik-m-aid, or whatever those things were called). A very interesting, yet pleasing combination!
Overall: This scent worried me at first - it was coming across as "generic-bought from a drugstore-old lady perfume". Now? ::sniffs wrist:: I smell like candied oranges! The sandalwood and ylang are still in the picture, too, keeping things from getting too saccharine, and really making for a nicely balanced group of notes. A very happy fragrance. 3.5/5
In the imp: Something fruity sweet, a smidge of mint, and watery pine.
On wet: Sweet pine and frosty mint!
Drydown: It's gone totally floral with a musk base. The moonflower is prominent, along with something high-pitched and creamy sweet - I'm thinking it's the cereus (which I have no experience with *at all*), though if I had to guess, I'd have said it was jasmine. The blue musk is sparkly and effervescent. The mint and frost/pine notes are MIA, and I haven't sniffed any thyme yet, either.
Overall: Classy and floral-sweet, very upscale and pretty. It's not a scent I see myself reaching for very often, but if I had somewhere elegant to go - a wedding, a fancy evening out with my husband, the theatre, etc. - LNM would be a great choice. Lovely! 3/5
In the bottle: Dorian peeks out first, followed by the darker, sweeter Snake Oil. Lavender clings to both. Lovely.
On wet: Sweet, powdery, slightly herbal. Bit of a jumble that's trying to settle down, but still lovely.
Drydown: Dorian's wearing a sprig of fennel-wrapped lavender pinned to the lapel of his vanilla-cream suit. Snake Oil swirls like a slinky, syrupy river of lightly spiced warmth beneath him. Picking up all the extra notes except the lily of the valley - I think it's adding to the creamy sweetness, just not as obviously as the other toss-ins. As I expected, this is good, *good* stuff. YUM.
Overall: Much love for this blend which has brought together two of my fave BPAL scents of all time. The lavender, fennel, and vanilla flower tweak them up to the next notch of awesomeness - adding just enough variance so that LV stands as a unique fragrance in its own right. It's a 4/5 right now, but I'm thinking that a little age will push this puppy into the 5/5 realm.
In the imp: Sweeeeet reddish-purple-fruity-berry-ness. A hint of what I think is thyme.
On wet: Kool-Aid!
Drydown: 10 minutes in, and it's faded quite a bit. It's lost a lot of that berrylicious/fruity edge in favour of just pure sugary sweetness - it's actually making my teeth hurt every time I inhale! There's also a soapy, shampoo-esque thing going on now, too. I'm reminded of the "perfume" I used to get as a kid - the kind that wasn't much more than scented pink liquid in a pretty pink-capped bottle. I can't recall exactly, but I think the brand was called Tinkerbell (no relation to Disney). Not getting anything even remotely boozy or herby.
Overall: WAY too sweet for this grrl - though I'd definitely recommend it for the junior BPALers out there. A kid-friendly scent to be sure - and SO much nicer than that chemical playtime crap I'm sure is still being sold today. As I am no longer a kidlet, however, this ranks a 2/5 on my skin.
In the bottle: Light tea and gorgeous mandarin.
On wet: Sugared mandarin and both musks - they all smell fantastic together!
Drydown: Lovely tea, rose and mandarin, vanilla, musk, poppy, even the violets! All of the notes have hit my radar at one point or another (except the opoponax, which I think is grounding everything and isn't as noticeable - fine by me since I'm not a huge fan), and they've since combined into this light, sophisticated melange of gentle, sweet, fruity-floral-musky goodness.
Overall: High end yet wearable. Appropriate for any occasion. Perfect for those who've been craving a good fruity-tea scent - like me! Absolutely delicious, and an easy 4/5.
In the bottle: Mmm...sweet, sweet apple cider. It's that same Golden Delicious apple note I get from Harvest Moon 06 (even though it's red apple listed in both blends - to me, it's very golden).
On wet: Instant spice, a dash of wood, the smokiness of myrrh, peppery-creamy carnation, and something that makes me think of (oddly enough) fresh, cool water lingering around the edges.
Drydown: Spice - including that fantastic peppered cream of the carnation - is still the most prominent aspect of this blend. The subtle, sweet earthiness of fig is detectable, though, as are the occasional whiffs of those sparkling golden apples. The wood, myrrh, smoke, musk, and patch are all sticking close to my skin, and, depending on where my nose is at any given time, I get bits and bites of each to varying degrees - really lovely. No toasted almond to be found. I'm thinking it got buried under all the other smoky/woody stuff.
Overall: Another delightful autumn scent to add to my collection - like the love child of spicy-woody-smoky-dry Chrysanthemum Moon, and the spiced apple-patchouli goodness of Samhain (with a dash of happy-apple influence from cousin Harvest Moon 06). I'd have preferred a *wee* bit more fruit to contrast with all that spiced smoke, but that's a small thing against everything else I enjoyed about this blend. And who knows what will come with some age? I'm betting it'll be even more incredible next year! 4/5
In the imp: An almost golden-sweet vanilla. Something bright and a little sharp, too - like a high-end, citrussy hairspray.
On wet: Sweet creaminess. Jasmine. The nailpolish-remover scent of champaca. Oooh...but here comes the sandalwood, already starting to ground everything. Very, very nice.
Drydown: Complex and lovely. The vanilla and sandalwood make for a wonderfully sweet-yet-stable base - creamy, warm, and golden. The champaca - a note that never fails to hate me regardless of how many times I try it out - has finally decided to pull back and play nice, making friends with the jasmine, tag-teaming to become this general haze of pretty floral-ness. I can smell an undercurrent of spicy smokiness, too - opium and ginger making the scene at last. There's the leather - it's slightly sour against the other notes.
Roses, lily, hay, tobacco...I'm sure they're all in there too, but I can't pick them out specifically - that's how busy and well-blended this scent is.
Overall: I'm really enjoying this! It's an almost syrupy sweet floral, saved from being too heady or too generic or too frou-frou (ie. only to be worn to expensive restaurants or similarly classy engagements) by that deliciously smoky, lightly spiced, golden cream combo of the vanilla-sandalwood-opium-ginger (and possibly tobacco). It *did* start off a bit...louder...than I usually like, but within 5-10 minutes, it settled down into the gorgeous, darkly playful skin-scent I'm getting - and can't stop sniffing! - now. A unique composition (to my nose, at any rate), one that might need to be upgraded to a bottle in the near future. 4/5
In the imp: Cherry and lavender.
On wet: Cherry, lavender, and I'm pretty sure that the smoothness underneath the two of 'em is the white musk.
Drydown: The cherry faded almost immediately, leaving the barest hint of lavender wafting up from my skin. If I mash my nose against my wrist, I can smell the soft sweetness of the white musk.
Overall: I failed to detect any trace of rosewood, red musk, or red rose in KoH - and to be completely honest, I rather liked it that way! The white musk's powdery softness proved the perfect grounding for the sharpness of the lavender, pinning both notes firmly in place against my skin, where they lingered quite happily for several hours. A lovely blend! 4/5
In the imp: Sweet, sweet pear, and some kind of glaringly bright, almost chemical floral.
On wet: Icky sweet pea (which, for whatever reason, hates me), and something that reminds me of my beloved Sleepy Moon! Unexpected and interesting!
Drydown: There's something powdery in here - it's doing the same itchy-dusty thing to my nose that most orchid scents do. Aside from that...this is a really hard scent for me to pin down! I'm still getting the sickly sweet pea (if a flower could go "off" the way food does, that would be how I'd describe my nose's interpretation of that note), and I think the lilies and honeysuckle have banded together with it to form this gang of icky, overwhelming floral-ness. Can't tell if the heliotrope has jumped into the mix - my nose is being pummeled and robbed as I speak...er, type. I can tell you what I'm *not* smelling, though - white musk and pear! The two notes I was *hoping* to get a good dose of. Ain't that always the way?
Overall: Another "not a good scent for me" blend. The florals are too sharp, too cloying, and none of them seem to like me very much. I was kinda hoping for the lilies, pear, and musk to dominate, but that simply was not to be. I'm not particularly surprised, though - sweet pea is one of my absolute ick notes, and honeysuckle isn't far behind, so I had reservations from the get-go - but the white musk fan in me had to at least give this scent a shot. Which I now have. 2/5
In the bottle: Blueberries!
On wet: Blueberries instantly give way to tea and the currant - no problem, I love them, too!
Drydown: Powdery lemon? Where is this coming from? This odd stage lasts for several long minutes, then the blueberries return with the tea in tow. Ginger lingers on the sidelines, as does the vanilla and currant. The musk is developing slowly - darkly sweet, vaguely leathery, working (surprisingly!) well with the berries/tea combo. Not picking up the benzoin (good - not a favourite), or the squash blossom/coriander.
Overall: Another good fruit-tea-musk combo for me! I'm not even very interested in blueberry as a scent to wear, but it's really nice with the supporting notes in this blend - and it's incredibly fresh/realistic! A unique addition to my BPAL box, and a nice change of pace from what I usually wear. 4/5
In the imp: Sweet cherry cough syrup.
On wet: Mmm...cherry-almond-marzipan goodness. Uber sweet, but very yummy.
Drydown: The cherry is long gone. A musky, slinky-sweet, somewhat dusty/ powdery floral is what I'm getting now - that is, until the strawberry rears its massive fruity head. Wow, not only did it just appear outta nowhere, it's surprisingly strong, too. Hmm...unlike other Lab strawberry scents, this berry blend doesn't smell fake on me. It smells darker and richer than it should - almost plum-like - making me wonder if the cherry's really gone after all...
Overall: I don't care for strawberry scents. Amber is not my friend. Red musk is hit or miss with my skin chemistry. Guess it just goes to show you how the right balance of notes can work miracles - I'm finding HB not only wearable, but deliciously sexy to boot! Not certain it'll rank big bottle-love (not yet, anyway), but I'll definitely be using my imp. A surprising, but well-deserved 3.5/5.
In the imp: An almost watery, sweet-tart freshness.
On wet: Clean and vaguely lemongrass-y.
Drydown: Fresh, clean, and faintly citrus. There's a green edge happening, too - something almost minty or grassy. Very pretty.
Overall: Not a fan of the bamboo element (I did detect a VERY brief, polluting whiff of it during the wet stage), but this is such a fresh, clean fragrance otherwise, that I can hardly complain. I almost wish I'd sprung for a full bottle rather than a decant - this would be lovely addition to unscented bath products! 3.5/5
Originally reviewed: May 27 06
In the imp: Not quite sure *what* I'm smelling - maybe something...figgy? It sure ain't any of the other listed notes...
On wet: Okay, weird smell overload - kinda clovey, kinda patchouli-y, but mostly (and I hate to say this about *any* BPAL blend) icksome burnt playdoh mixed with paint.
Drydown: Reeeeally tried to give this one a chance to morph, but, aside from softening slightly, the strangely stinky factor hasn't gone away.
Overall: I smell like spicy charred playdoh.
In the bottle: Like herbal...paint?
On wet: A sharp yet decidedly warm scent combination - I'm getting leather, spice, and something burning. Definitely keeping true to the description!
Drydown: Pretty much the same as above - woodsmoke (which has morphed into the dominant note), leather, and I want to attribute that soft, spicy undertone to a liberal dash of either clove or nutmeg, though I'm probably way off. Could I somehow be misinterpreting the tobacco? As a former - though longtime smoker, how lame would that be?
Overall: A slightly smokier, drier, less sweet version of Dee, like some of the past reviewers have mentioned. A good fragrance for when it's cold n' snowy outside, you're inside, bundled into a squishy sweater or blanket, curled up on the couch with a good book, drinking something cidery, chocolatey, or otherwise winterlicious. Very evocative of the season it was created for. 3.5/5
Originally reviewed: Aug 08 06
In the bottle: Apples! Gorgeous, golden apples!
On wet: Mmm...more apples!
Drydown: The apples are still there, providing this positively *gorgeous* yellow sweetness - a perfect counterpoint to the dry, slightly spicy undertone that's starting to emerge. It's almost a clean, woody/peppery scent that I'm starting to get now, if that makes any sense.
Overall: Pure Autumn-in-a-Bottle, y'all. I've got a touch of early October smeared on my wrists! This is like a daylight version of my beloved midnight-esque Samhain - THIS is what I'd hoped last year's HM would smell like on me, like I'm sitting in a hay field on the edge of a sun-warmed apple orchard, clear blue skies stretching out above my head, a clean, cool breeze stirring the rust-gold-scarlet leaves... Serious love and a hugely deserved 5/5. Well done, Beth!
Originally reviewed: Dec. 16 05
I'm getting nothing but pure wintergreen - like Wintermint Lifesavers. No cinnamon, no fruits, maybe a hint of woodsiness on the drydown, nothing but pure, light, pale green mint.
I actually quite like wintermint, but I was hoping for the spicy fruity fragrance all those previous reviewers raved about. Maybe I'll try for a new imp in my next order...
In the imp: Mmm...minty snake oil - delicious!
On wet: Oh, this is yummy. Aside from the *slightest* whiff of something chemical that comes and goes, I smell like minty vanilla cookies - SEXY minty vanilla cookies.
Drydown: Still pure minted snake oil - and I think it's the tea (of all things!) that's acting out. It's not putting me in mind of something chemical anymore, it's just not interested in sitting nicely with the other notes.
Overall: I'm not sure how old my decant is, but this scent is so slinky-nummy, I'll definitely give it another go at a later date to see if aging improves it. Hopefully the tea or the bergamot or whatever's being naughty will calm down enough to warrant a big bottle purchase. At the moment, though, this rates a very respectable 3/5.
In the bottle: Super dark, super rich, medicinal fruit cough syrup.
On wet: Ooooh...delicious apricot simmered in sweet musk. Decadent and candylicious.
Drydown: There was a brief, worrisome moment of "omg, EVIL PLASTIC!" but that seems to have faded. Now I'm getting a sweet, lightly fruited musk with a vague brandied undertone. I also keep getting these odd hits of...violet candy? Whenever it registers, I'm reminded of Psychological Horror, even though they're nothing alike in terms of notes or "feel". Weird.
Overall: I like this blend! It's not as smooth as I would like - especially when compared to the gorgeous released version - but I think that age will help with that. Fruit and musk and sweet stuff grounded with a smidge of something darker are favourites in my scent stable, so I think this proto - which hits all those marks - will eventually do very well for itself. Until it has a chance to soften those rough edges, though, it rates a 3/5.
Originally reviewed: Dec 27 05
In the Imp: Sweet, strong, fruity booze. Can't detect apricots right off the bat, but I am getting a definite whiff of brandy.
Wet: This blend is almost overwhelming at first. My nose is blasted by the intensity of the newly erupted apricot note, the warm shot of brandy, and, as some other reviewers have mentioned, a spike of something almost grassy or wood-like.
Drydown: The wood/grass note fades after a few minutes, leaving nothing but pure, sweet, DARK apricot syrup. It's deliciously warm, wonderfully rich, and the thought of how this would smell in my bath water is actually giving me goosebumps. The throw is average, the staying power is faboo - I put this on long before going to bed last night, and my wrists were still smelling good when I got up this morning - and, most importantly, the hubby was decidedly...approving.
Overall: I'm not usually a fan of fruit, but I make an exception for good apricot blends - and this is easily the best one I've *ever* tried. The apricot is totally realistic, it's sweet without being cloying, and best of all, the brandy note lends it an air of sophistication, keeping it from being a straight up fruit or kiddy fragrance. I'm not only in love, I'm in need of a big bottle.
In the imp: Sugared mint tea!
On wet: Mmm...sweet, fresh mint - green and growing. Lovely!
Drydown: I smell like pure honeyed tea leaves! No mint, no citrus (never got any noticeable citrussy notes, though), and the sweetness is more mellow, no longer sugary. It's gone drier, too - hence the tea leaf vibe, rather than the beverage.
Overall: This is quite nice. I rather enjoy all the notes included in this blend, but it's incredibly faint, and only lasted about half an hour on my wrist. If it was a bit more intense, I would definitely go for a bottle. As it stands now, I'll just continue to enjoy my imp. 3/5
Originally reviewed: April 26 06
In the imp: Smells kinda like fruity paint.
On wet: A sweet splash of non-descript fruit that darkens into rich, syrupy, spiced plum-goodness after only a few seconds.
Drydown: Mmmm... Warm, spicy plums... Underscored by the barest hint of creamy carnations... Sooooo goooood....
Overall: This is a seriously delicious combination of notes - not really candle-esque to me, but I can understand how the scent of spiced fruit might smell like such to other noses. Likewise, to *this* grrl's nose, FB's warm, sweet darkness seems better suited to late summer/autumn/winter or as an evening fragrance, not so much for spring. No doubt this blend will be a bottle purchase, to be slathered with abandon come fall.
4.5 out of 5.
