Czarina

Where, oh where is the dragon's blood in this? On me this is pure lily and lilac. Jaysus. I smell like my mother. She is very sweet, but she is 87 years old. Not the image I want to convey even when I am channeling my crone aspect. This one is Not Okay with me. I think I could have handled a pure floral if I weren't expecting it to be, you know, more resinous. It's bright red in the imp. Off to swaps wi' ye! ETA: I added some Bonfire Night to my persona, my current favorite solution for excessively sentimental florals. Yep, burnt lilies I can handle.

This was a Lab frimp to me. In the imp: before I even open it, I note that it is a deep brown and think, wow, that looks like it will be strong. Yep: patchouli/sandalwood. Wet: woody/cedar and patchouli. Drydown: pure headshop and a handful of dry dirt. Not bad, just very Sixties on me. I can't "see" this as golden at all.

Preliminary: WTF is aconite? I googled it to learn that it is the same thing as: "Monkshood. Blue Rocket. Friar's Cap. Auld Wife's Huid" and that it is a poisonous alkaloid. I am now better informed but still have no notion of how this note is supposed to smell. In the bottle: I can barely detect a scent at all. Hm. Wet: oh, harsh, harsh, harsh fir. The mint lends a penetrating quality to it, like Vicks Vap-o-Rub, although it does not smell like Vap-o-Rub. Did I mention harsh? Drydown: I can smell a bruised leaf scent--I think this must be the cedar leaf, but the fir and mint are still going strong. This is not a sweet scent at all. The throw is pretty good for something that was so weak in the bottle. I am really uncertain whether I like this or not. I was expecting it to be a lot like Black Forest for some reason, and it definitely is not.

I can't believe I haven't reviewed this one. This is one of only two LEs that I have ever purchased a bottle of and then immediately ordered a second bottle upon first testing the first bottle. I am fairly new to the BPAL madness, although familiar with the concept of nontraditional scents through companies like Demeter. So the idea of a perfume smelling like a bonfire was very appealing to me. The reality of this perfume is hard to describe. In the bottle it is hard to pick out anything but woodsmoke. As this scent dries, I can pick out the smoldering wood, the hops (my ten-year-old thinks it's hazelnut or graham crackers), the sugary note of the treacle, and the tar. I carry a bottle of this with me at all times and if I am in need of courage or entertainment I dab on a little bit. I shall be a sad girl indeed if this does not reappear next Halloween, because two bottles may not be enough for me.

Got this as a Lab frimp, which is nice, because it's been on my wishlist for a while. In the imp: pure pine. Wet: sweet pine. Sugary pine. Pine candy? WTF. Drydown: sweet pine with a distinctly metallic note, somewhat reminiscent of Tintagel. Faint musky/vanilla notes drift past as well. I can practically hear the snow and branches crunching beneath my feet as I walk. Divine. Not at all Pine-Solish.

This was a Lab frimp to me. In the imp: Wisteria. Wet: wisteria and violets. Drydown: very sweet, almost not a floral, can't pick out the individual flower notes any more. This did not go powdery on me and is generally overall highly satisfactory, although I still long for a SN violet scent. This isn't it (neither is Faith). Adequate throw, short wearlength.

In the imp: cedar. Wet: cedar and patchouli. Drydown: cedar and incense. Actually, quite nice, but hard for me to tell apart from, say, Intrigue. ETA: Mindful at last (it takes me a while to catch on to some of this stuff) of the spellcasting possibilites of some of these oils, I grabbed this imp immediately before a :coughs: moment of adult activity with my partner of some seventeen years. It certainly had an effect on me, didn't see much of an effect one way or another on him. Boy it smells nice though.

Hm. Butter-spice-Playdoh-patchouli. The patchouli comes out in very odd little blasts. Fun but weird. Maybe it's the knowledge that there's supposed to be turkey in here.

In the bottle: honey and jasmine. Wet: honey and honeysuckle, with just a faint hint of jasmine. Drydown: honey, honeysuckle, and jasmine, very evenly balanced. I am having a hard time picking out the fig, carnation, apricot, tonka, and almond, but this is still an exceptionally lovely scent (and much more delicate than my usual brutal musks).

In the bottle: combination of white flowers. My nose is confused. It is almost like gardenia, but gardenia is not listed as one of the notes. Wet: that unidentifiable floral must be lotus. I can also smell the white amber and sandalwood, but they're quite light. Drydown: faint, mysterious, mostly sandalwood. It definitely conveys a sense of tranquility, and also, I think, distance. More subtle than I am usually wont to indulge in.

This was a "sleeper" frimp in my Sea of Tranquility order. I would sooooo buy a bottle of this if released. In the imp: booze and almonds. Wet: fruity goodness (as noted, like Sugar Skulls), almonds, cherry...citron. Yes. Drydown: sweet fruit and butter. Awesome. Have I mentioned how much I loved this??

2007 version In the bottle: rum Wet: Rum, cream, egg, nutmeg, and powdered sugar. Drydown: noggy (egg/cream notes). Very fun, but below average throw and wearlength. Might be best suited for a room scenter (or a scent locket). ETA: I wore this all day on Christmas Day. I was entertaining at home, so I reapplied it three times. One of the times, but only one, I caught a hint of the plastic/Playdoh note other reviews have noted. Maybe the oil just needed mixing. It was a lot of fun to keep this scent at a reasonable level. I'm going to buy me a scent locket, since I didn't get one for Christmas.

In the bottle: vanilla cream Wet: vanilla, musk, and incense, with a hint of cream Drydown: incense with a hint of vanilla musk. This is an extremely well-blended scent. It is actually fairly hard to pick out the individual notes. I usually just think "mmmmmm" when I smell it. Above-average throw and wearlength. I'm so glad I took a chance on this one. ETA: tried this in my scent locket. The linen and tobacco notes are more prominent (in the bottle, I can smell what seems like cigarette ash) in the locket, making this even more divine.

If you like foody spice, how about Gluttony or Gingerbread Poppet?

2007 release. I go nuts over the Starbucks gingerbread lattes every December. In the bottle: gingerbread cookie dough. Wet: gingerbread just starting to bake in the oven. Drydown: OMG gingerbread. Equal amounts of ginger, clove, nutmeg, and cinnamon. This really is just heavenly. I'm loving my bottle.

All I can smell in this one is roses and dirt. And roses! And dirt! And a hint of ivy. Very atmospheric. Moderate to low throw and wearlength.

In the imp: grape juice and hint of vinegar. Wet: red wine. Drydown: Sweet red wine and musk. The hint of amber makes the overall effect somewhat powdery. Intoxicating.

OK, call me vapid. I actually like this one on me. In the bottle: Death by Florals. Agreed. Wet: jasmine, tiare, something else I can't identify. Drydown: The something else I can't identify comes to the forefront. It smells kind of like Sweet Tarts. It's sweet, it's not floral, and it's very appealling to me. Below-average throw. ETA: Dang, I still really like this months later. I guess I'm still shallow.

Got an imp of this in a swap at the Seattle Meet'n'Sniff. In the imp: Cockaigne. Wet: A lot like Cockaigne--butter and spice, but with a hint of sandalwood. No chocolate notes whatsoever. WTF? Drydown: butter and hazelnut, plus the hint of sandalwood. Above average throw. Mmm-mm good.

I have been known to eat lavender-flavored chocolate, so I was eager to make the acquaintance of Wolfie. He did not disappoint. In the imp: chocolate with a faint medicinal undertone (I think that's the sage). Almost minty but not quite. Wet: cocoa and lavender. Drydown: cocoa, lavender, herbs, pepper, and something else...not sure what....reminds me somewhat of Intrigue, of all things, only less cedarwood. I must say that I can't pick up much of the famous mean streak. He's a puppydog on my wrists. Low throw, above average wearlength. ETA: I revisited Wolfie again this morning. He is just as divine as I recall, but today I didn't find the wearlength to be above average. He seemed to fade away fast. Strange.

In the imp: myrrh myrrh myrrh. Wet: MYRRH MYRRH MYRRH. Drydown: Coriander peeks out from behind the myrrh, and I can get a wee touch of rose and jasmine, but they are both very timid. Above average throw when it was around, but I applied it at 8 am and it was gone by noon.

In the imp: nasty floral. Wet: for about the first thirty seconds it is nasty, nasty floral, almost like hyacinth sap, if that makes any sense. Then suddenly it is sweet, delicious jasmine. Drydown: balanced jasmine and rose, with myrrh bridging the gap between the two. A surprise hit for me. Got better and better the longer I wore it. Did not turn soapy. Average wearlength and throw.

In the imp: bitter. Wet: wet mossy rocks. Drydown: drier mossy rocks (it's the vetiver). Later: turns powdery and I get the first hint of violet. Average throw, below-average wearlength. Pleasant but nothing to jump up and down about, and not my Holy Grail of Violet. Sigh.

In the imp: Sweet Tarts, or perhaps Smarties. Wet: Yeah, Smarties. Drydown: aldehydes, oh the horror that is Chanel No. 5. Very artificial. Morphing into: orris root. All in all, not bad, but not something I'd buy a second imp of. Throw is average or better.

I loved the concept of this scent so much. I am very disappointed to report that it is merely blandly pleasant on me. No grapefruit, no aquatic, no evil and darkness. It smells like a generic floral scent with a dash of sandalwood thrown in. This makes no sense to me, but there you have it. I just can't get brooding darkness out of this one. I wouldn't wash it off my wrists, mind you, it just doesn't smell interesting on me. Below average throw and wearlength.