In the imp: Mmm...smells like buttered rum lifesavers!
On wet: Lightly buttered rum. Coconut. A dry, almost herbal bitterness that I'm thinking is the tobacco. Strangely enough, I'm also getting a hint of something...minty? Weird - and yummy!
Drydown: The caramel-esque rum and sugary coconut are both deliciously straightforward. I'm not getting tobacco (or that phantom mint note) any more, but I'm sure it's helping cut the sweetness and ground the other two components.
Overall: Edible! Drink Me and Obatala's love child. Definitely a warm weather party scent - also perfect for those cold days when all you can think about is escaping the snow by jetting off to the Caribbean. Elegba is that 'one sniff and you're there' scent. 4/5
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 imp: SWEET! Like, scary sweet, with a dash of something fruity.
On wet: Pure roses - of the cheap bathroom spray variety - and nothing else.
Drydown: Still nothing but super sweet, bubblegum pink, granny bathroom ROSES. There isn't even a *hint* of that initial whiff of fruit I got from the imp - the fruit that I was counting on for balance.
Overall: I can only wear a select handful of rose blends, and sadly, this is not one of them.
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
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: Why am I smelling...butter?
On wet: I'm getting whiffs of buttered corn mixed with a high-pitched floral of some kind. So far this is not at all what I was expecting - it's actually kind of scary.
Drydown: Oh...oh yes...*this* is more like it - the good Doctor's finally decided to leave his popcorn-shilling ways behind him! The scent rising from my wrist is now deep and smooth and wonderful. The darkly sweet, almost fruity mix of tonka, sandalwood, and champaca flower dominates, followed by hints of smoke-laced ginger and the occasional whisper of a dry, almost woody peppery-ness. Delicious!
Overall: Even though I was put off by the buttery popcorn + bathroom-florals-from-hell stage, and wish this was a *tad* smokier, DJS is still an incredibly beautiful blend. The drydown alone rates an easy 4/5.
Originally reviewed: May 27 06
In the imp: Sweet with a faintly woody undertone.
On wet: Mmm...sweet and incense-y - but kinda dry? (If that makes any sense, lol.) A tiny hint of spice underneath the prominent notes tickles my nose.
Drydown: Still sweet and incensey, complimented perfectly by a much more instense spiciness than before. Extremely pretty - I can't stop sniffing myself!
Overall: It's lovely and warm and kinda reminds me of the deliciousness that is teh Smut. How could I not love this?
In the imp: Minty Mint and sweet violets...
On wet: Oooh...herbalicious! What a lovely blast of minty eucalyptus freshness! It's great, and slightly tempered with an underlying sweetness - not overpowering at all.
Drydown: Mmm...mint - it's almost vanillic, thanks to the violets. This has totally softened, sweetened, and deepened into such a pretty scent - and it's weird, but I'm almost getting a whiff of something...coconutty? Whatever it is, it smells *fantastic*! The eucalyptus is still lingering by way of a slightly dusty herbal edge - it's pleasant, almost tea-like - that I can pick up on if I really sniff around for it. I can't detect any neroli.
Overall: I really like violets, and I quite like mint, too - combined, however, I thought they'd smell quite...icky. This blend - which ends up incredibly soft and delicate - has *totally* surprised me! It started off as cool and bracing, then mellowed into this almost creamy sweetness that is just SO gorgeous - I can't stop sniffing myself. I'm reminded of a lighter, cleaner version of Snow-Flakes - Snow-Flakes falling on pale, pale violets. This is a wonderful scent, and one I'd consider upgrading to a bottle! 4.5/5
In the bottle: Cocoa, vanilla, lavender - yum!
On wet: Mmm...the same as above. The lavender is really singing, too - such an amazing melange of notes.
Drydown: A complex jumble of subdued deliciousness that is SO incredible. It's saved from the 'too foody' category thanks to the fresh zip of lavender and the rounder sweetness I'm attributing to the starfruit. As the day progresses, the scent smooths out like a river of warm, creamy goodness - less lavender, a more pronounced vanilla/sandalwood presence. And YES! This is definitely reminiscent of Underpants.
Overall: I was another who couldn't wear the previous 13, so this reformulation was such a welcome surprise! Not only do I LOVE this new interpretation, there wasn't a single aspect or stage of this scent that I didn't enjoy. A most certainly well-deserved 5/5.
This will likely smell amazing on the right guy, too. Not too sweet, not too feminine, that smidge of lavender that is so often found in cologne = 100% edible manflesh!
In the bottle: A sweet hint of pear, something a little perfumey (jasmine?), and the faintest touch of dustiness I always seem to get from orchid notes.
On wet: Peaceful, soft, watery - a lovely, mild scent so far.
Drydown: Still soft and sweet, but with a more pronounced perfumey edge. I'm able to smell the fruit (or perhaps it's the lotus?), what I'm thinking is the mottia attar, and the crystal musk underneath. No distinct hint of cucumber (though I believe it's contributing to that watery vibe), the orchid is either gone or smothered under the other florals, and I'm not familiar enough with the other listed notes to be able to pick them out specifically.
Overall: When I closed my eyes to dissect this blend, I was immediately assaulted by some of the most vivid images any BPAL blend has evoked to date:
An ornate outdoor bathing grotto filled with cool water, generous handfuls of fragrant, exotic flower petals floating on its surface, a mild breeze - faintly scented with the sweetness of recent rain and growing things - raising gooseflesh when it brushes up against naked skin, a blue-black sky overhead. I can envision a fey queen or nature-loving goddess bathing here, floating on her back, eyes closed, long hair fanning out behind her, soothed by her surroundings, completely at peace...
I honestly didn't think I'd like this scent - too many floral notes, too much potential for aquatic mayhem (I can't seem to pull off watery schtuff), and while pear/cucumber-type scents are pleasing, I don't often find myself reaching for them - not with so many spicy/creamy/sexy combinations available. Now that I've actually *tried* it, though (instead of just sniffing the bottle's contents, promising to try it soon, then passing it over in favour of something else), I can't believe how incredibly pretty it is. Pretty AND wearable! It's got this softness to it that sort of mutes all the potentially louder components - almost as if each note went blurry at the edges and was bleeding into one another - like a watercolour painting.
An evening, special occasion, or spring/early summer fragrance (for me, anyway), and an impressive 4.5/5. Gorgeous.
