YoakeNoKami

Gorgeous. Utterly gorgeous. I was initially put off a little by the description "blood accord" but when it arrived, I was not disappointed. In the bottle, a gorgeous deep red sort of scent, like abandoned altars and a dark kind of pride. Damp, berrylike, with a resin edge. On/wet: A bit flatter, with less of a sting to the resin. There's still a sort of bitterly resenful edge, but it warms a bit as it dries: a guarding, waiting sort of touch to it. Drydown: Sharp, angry resin, darkened halls, and the scent of roses which will never again see the light of day. It carries with it thoughts of memory, forgotten places and cooling, offeratory incense--a highstrung kind of assurance of station and a biting edge to little warmth; sultry darkness and lost offerings. Calm self assurance, cool arrogance, the weight of sealed doorways, the fragmented existence of dried rose petals, and the nearly-wistful memory of standing in the sun. ETA: Roses. Please forgive me for waxing poetic.

This was actually the first bottle of BPAL that I ever bought... wow. Just wow. Heehee, instantly in love with it. Chocolate, orchid, and warm something-or--other (probably the clove) on me. I've noticed, having a look at some of the other reviews, that few people actually hit the clove note strong enough to have it stick around during drydown, but this wasn't the case for me. I got the sweet chocolate, the bare hint of a strange colored orchid, and the warm glow of the clove backing it all. It's like the lovechild of Bliss and Thanatos on me... odd, at times, but good. Very good. I've had the opportunity to try 13 from 2005, and from April 2007, both of which were very fruity and weird on me--particulary the April 13, which turned light orchid and crisp fruit. Lovely, but more in love with the July 13. Which explains why I went hunting for a second bottle.

For me, personally... Just a teensy dab of Thanatos with Bliss over top smells like July 07's 13. This could just be my skin chemistry, but maybe try layering Thanatos and Bliss? The sort of incense-y spiciness in Thanatos gives it that bit of warm spiciness (and oddly, frutiness), and Bliss over top becomes slightly less dry--that edible kind of smell that I just can't stop craving.

Imp: Chocolate and a general fruity smell. On/wet: Ooh, purely chocolate and cherries... chocolate covered cherries... cherry-topped chocolate cake. It's devine. Drydown: Gone, totally gone. My skin ate this up within 15 minutes. I think it could be due to the cherries, or the fact that the chocolate in this is more sweet than dry, unlike Bliss. It could do well, though, over a stronger cherry note, or a fuller chocolate note. I did try it out over a bit of Bliss as well, and that gave it a teensy bit more staying power... Not in for a bottle, unless I suddenly start amping cherry notes, but my imp has my love.

In imp: smells vaguely familiar, though I'm not sure what... wondering if this is the scent I was smelling when I tore into the box today.. On/wet: A vague sort of sweetness. I'm not sure what it is--it's a very mellow, passive kind of smell... Drydown: Uh... small, faint, sweet dying while lily and that odd smell of clean baby. Off it goes--the scent combination seems sort of incomplete, and while I don't really dislike it, I don't adore it enough to hang onto it either.

In imp: an actual "perfume"-y scent.... uh oh... On/wet: more of the same! I catch a musk and sea scent very briefly, but it's a very "perfume" scented blend on me... Drydown: Unfortunately, the perfume smell never faded. It's a bit seawater and musk now, though, but I think this one will be needing to undertake another voyage. It goes off to join the lady Catherine and the Baku in the swap jar.

In the imp: Faintly floral, with a hint of freesia--s bit sharp, but a clean kind of scent. On/wet: The freesia drops a bit to bring forward other notes--a bit of daffodil, clean wood, and something which lends a faint aquatic note to the blend. Drydown: Generally speaking, I try to avoid aquatic notes... but this is one blend where I have to admit it's because they don't do well on me, not because I don't adore them. The freesia drops to a bottom note on drydown, with clean, cool air in twilight coming to the foreground, carrying the lakeshore with it. There's the faint smell of wood on the banks, and the aquatic note becomes the clarity of pure water of a lake which never sees the moon, bathed in starlight. ETA: Upon reading some of the previous reviews, I have to agree that there is a sort of absentness to this scent--there is a lightness, a stillness, an impression of a single endless moment that is difficult for me to shake off. It's a bit spooky really... not sure if I'll feel comfortable wearing this when I'm alone

ooh, another frimp *feels spoiled* In imp: Very golden and green, like crushed flower petals. A "plant" kind of smell On/wet: Still very golden, but more crushed flower petal. I'm not certain why--Sundew, if I'm not mistaken, is actually a carnivorous plant. The flower is a little acidic, a little sweet, but very golden. The green in it seems to give it a bite, like danger offset by beauty. Drydown: After a bit, this rolls up into a more full, warm floral. The floral is not as full on me as the odd rose hint I get out of Thanatos, though, but it's still very lovely. It stays golden and light, with an edge of bitter green that keeps it interesting. The more floral note in it, though, is a bit powdery on me, so it softens the bitter green "plant stem" bit out nicely.

Hmmm... one of ten frimps which came with my most recent BPAL order. In imp: Strong, almost medicinal mint with a liquor backing it--lemon undertone. Drydown: Fades really fast on me. Found out that from the odd minty, eucalyptus tone, it dried down to almost nothing in a matter of about 15 minutes. I left it an hour or so, and there was still the faintest hint of licorice, but it's extremely light on me. The lemon sort of hovers in the licorice with a teensy hint of booziness--unfortunately, it does remind me a bit of those licorice scented markers... I think that while this would be lovely on someone whose skin amps this kind of scent, it's a bit too faint for me. The Green Fairy gets blown away a bit too easily on my skin, I guess. Off to the swap jar to join Catherine, Envy, and Baku...

If ever there was an appropriate name for a perfume, Bliss is it. I wasn't too sure about it at first, being a definite BPAL newbie, so I ordered an imp of this when I placed my very first order, just after the July update... I was definitely intrigued by the description, and, needless to say, I wasn't disappoined. In the imp: A definite chocolate scent in the bottle, rather sweet and very much a milk chocolate smell. I was a little concerned about the sweetness, but moved ahead with the testing. On & Wet: Still the milk chocolate smell, though a little more of the rich, full body of really good chocolate was beginning to creep in. The sweetness was still there, but had lost a little of the sugary smell I was getting from it at first. Drydown: 15 minutes Not bad, not bad at all. Although the sweetness was fading, there was a faint hazelnut/honey undertone to the chocolate, and it wasn't showing even a hint of turning bitter. 1 hour Bliss morphed from milk chocolate into a dry, dark chocolate with a faint bit of milk chocolate layered underneath 2 hours + This scent lasted about 6 hours on me, with the prominent chocolate note still on top. Though it became a drier scent after the first hour or so, the chocolate was still rather firmly there without being overpowering. Throw: This rather depends on how much you apply, but a teensy dab gets you just enough that you've got a faint "aura" of chocolate, and others can catch a faint whiff of it. My mother caught a bit of the scent and had to try it *enabler* Final impression: A lovely, comfortingly foody scent that 's just enough to keep me from pouncing on all the chocolate in sight. I've been wearing this at work, so the bit of chocolate scent is rather stress relieving for me. End notes: Tested this on my mom: Dark chocolate and hazelnut wet; dry chocolate with faint honey notes on drydown Tested on my sister: Wet: Burnt coffee (?????!!!) Drydown: Best. Mocha. Ever.

Imp from my first order. In imp: Sweet roses and moss, at first. It very much reminds me of my grandma's roses--heady (and head-sized) blossoms on thick, gnarled trunks. The blossoms that this brings to mind are brillant red with dark edges... On/wet: Hmm. The roses have abandoned me for moss and myrrh. Uh? The scent is a bit flat on me now, but still pretty good. For lack of a better word, it's a bit "wet". Drydown: Oh my god. Yum... as this dries, it's turned to warm resin and rolled itself up into the scent of good, dry firewood, with a faint but steady hint of dry, dark roses. 1 hour: still going strong. The scent has a faint, underlying spiceness (that "firewood" scent) and it's still edged in the roses. 3 hours: Warm and lovely... Final impression: A lovely, tasty sort of scent. Though perhaps not the scent of something you would eat? Overall, it's a warm kind of scent, with the rose giving it an underlying sort of fragility, at least for me, and wrapping me up in the comforting memories of evenings around a woodstove. I think this could be a unisex scent, yes, but it's rather on the whim of your skin chemistry--especially if your skin amps rose notes. The image it evokes as Thanatos for me is of Thanatos as a young man, a wanderer, following a trail of dead rose petals--knowing what is necessary...and moving forward regardless, simply being as he is meant to be. I also think that he'd be very much alone and though knowing why it is necessary, would still wonder what it meant to live, and to be one of the living. I don't really know how to describe it, except to say that I am now anxiously awaiting a 5ml...

Wow. Yummy. Imp: A light, slight lime scent over green tea. On/wet: The lime scent is still prminent, but the tea is holding its own. Vaguely reminiscent of something... Drydown: Oh my god, delicious! It's like a light earl grey (lady grey) tea, with an underlying hint of lemon and pure white sugar. The only concern I have is that the scent is very light on drydown and has very little throw on me, but otherwise I love it. Don't think I will be investing in a bottle a this point, so I will have to use my imp sparingly... Very clean, tasty scent.

Strong, and a bit astringent at first--eucalyptus, too, and rather green On: Still kind of bitter, but nothing overwhelming. Drydown: The astringent quality comes back! The eucalyptus lingers, along with a weird, lemon/lavender smell. Don't think I will be keeping this one. Not bad, but not awesome either.

Ergh. No. Just no for me. In imp: Yargh... wet nail polish and bitter fruit. Anyone else get this? On: Weird chemical scent on me, and it feels a bit strange. Drydown: Noooooo. I smell like rancid fruit, and it's making me sneeze. Don't know what's up, but I think the sneezing might be the musk--I don't always do well with musk, especially white musks, though I was intrigued by the notes listed by the lab. I wish I'd discovered the allergy before I spilled the bottle all over my desk, so I could trade it away. *sneezes uncontrollably* Definitely malevolent on me. To me. Whatever.

In Imp: very strong rosemary smell... hmmm... like fresh, crushed rosemary. On me: Still very rosemary--at first. There's an odd, citrus undertone. Drydown: Uh-oh, this one has gone all soapy... and baby oil!!! Going to have to let someone else try their luck with this lady!

Frimp from my very first order. First off: Imp was full, very full... to the point where everything in my box was Ravenous scented. Very odd smell--patchouli, orange, and wet leather? On: the leather smell is stronger!!!! What is this...? that and it itches/tingles a bit. Drydown: Patchouli and orange have abandoned me and I smell very odd. Like a large heap of leathery stuff. Must trade this away at some point, I'm afraid. Cannot stand the overpoweringly leathery smell on myself.

Envy. from my first order... In imp: Green. Very green... oh no... Wet/on: Still very green. Not sure I like it, but the smell is oddly addictive. Must keep sniffing at it. Drydown: Still quite green and bitter. Sour green smell on me, and it seems to fade off after a bit, but leaves this lingering bitterness. Final impression: Urgh, I like this and hate it at the same time. Don't think I will be keeping this one.

This was one of four frimps which came with my very first BPAL order... First impression: in the bottle, a bit of an odd, flowery sugar cookie smell Wet: white florals and a sweet almond note. Had to draw up the site decription again to see what it was I was looking for. On me: Still an odd almond note, and a sharp cherry blossom. Not finding any lily notes... which could be a good thing... Drydown: after an hour or so, I've still got an almond note, but it's less sweet and a bit more of a "dry" smell. The cherry smell is less sharp, too, but not a sick-sweet smell, either. After a few more hours, it's a warm, if somewhat faint scent. Final impression: A bit sweet at first, and the almond note kind of threw me for a loop. But all in all, it strikes me as a sort of poignant, stately scent--less "Off with your head!" than an elegant, stately kind of strength. Not too much throw, more like a vague, drifting aura of it that calls for a bit more attention when you get a whiff. Probably not an everyday scent for me, because the cherry has this lingering edge that says it could turn bitter on me if I'm not careful. Note: On my mom, this turned all to lilies--to the point of a weirdly powerful sweetness--and lasted quite strongly for several hours... unfortunately, I shall have to keep this away from her in the future. The lily became rather overpowering, and it's the one type of scent she absolutely loathes.