Lyrical
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Everything posted by Lyrical
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In imp: mmmmm - pumpkin, honey and vanilla. Wet on skin: lovely buttery pumpkin with honey. The vanilla really is smoky, or perhaps that's the tobacco? I think the sage, cedar and pine are just hovering dryly in the background to make it less foody than Pumpkin II at this stage, but still predominantly pumpkin. Dry on skin: BPAL pumpkin always seems to smell like pie crust on me (we don't eat pumpkin in my part of the world, so I don't know what the real thing smells like). This is a crispy, golden pie crust with a dark, smoky back note. A little fresher and dryer than Pumpkin II, although quite similar. Then honey comes out - a rich dark honey that never takes over or becomes cloying, as honey is wont to do on my skin - and it's simply wonderful! Later: I think my decant had separated a little, because while the first two applications were all yummy pumpkin, the rest of the imp was very smoky! And my bottle from the lab is much more wood, sage and tobacco than pumpkin, although still very nice! I liked the pumpkin better, though!
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In imp: bright fruit, red musk, frankincense and rose. Wet on skin: pumpkin over a fruity-floral, musky base. Yum! I can pick out strawberry, cranberry and a hint of rose and frankincense, but it's really well blended and gorgeous! No jasmine so far. Dry on skin: jasmine emerges, but never takes over, and pumpkin recedes into the background. It's a light, bright fruity-floral-musk over a soft base of pumpkin. Cranberry and strawberry are the most prominent notes. It's very "red". If you like Hollywood Babylon, this is the pumpkin scent for you!
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In imp: yummy, sharp citrus, grounded by buttery pumpkin. Wet on skin: the contrast of citrus sharpness with creamy pumpkin is interesting. They don't blend - they are kind of layered over each other so you can smell both distinctly at the same time. Dry on skin: it's citrus - no, it's pumpkin - no, it's citrus! This is Schrodinger's Cat meets Pumpkin single note. The sharpness of the lime and grapefruit is fading a bit now. It's very interesting and yummy ... and I'll need to come back to it a few times to be quite sure about it. There's very little, if any, throw. But this just gets better and better as the edge of the citrus fades and it all starts to blend smoothly together. Short wear length - eventually it's just a smooth, fruity-pumpkin-y scent next to the skin.
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In imp: yummy pumpkin (like Jack) with tonka and orange. Delicious and foody! No leather or teak in sight! Wet on skin: Jack without the cloying peach. So sweeet and creamy and comforting! A decant isn't enough - I want a bucketful! Dry on skin: less sweet now, but still creamy/buttery. There's a hint of leather emerging, which combined with teak makes it rather manly. I think I can smell what must be orangewood too. The pumpkin is fading into the background. Then the manly aspect fades and what's left is close to the skin, soft, earthy, creamy pumpkin and tonka. It's good, but I prefer Pumpkin IV! The leather and teak makes this too masculine for me.
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In vial: red wine, sweet/fruity/boozy (like in Christmas pudding!), dark musk, and rose that just sweetens instead of dominating. Wet on skin: rose and red wine, boozy and exotic. The booze smells stronger than wine, as if there's some brandy in here too. Just a hint of smoke. Dry on skin: fruity rose with a twist! Perhaps a more adult version of Libra 2007? Much better than I thought it would be! Red wine often goes sour on me, though, so I won't speak too soon. It must be the myrrh which is giving the incense-y feel to this. The booze fades quickly, leaving a very soft and pretty rose - possibly the best BPAL rose scent I've ever tried! Who would have guessed from the description? If you like Bilquis, you should try this.
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In bottle: a floral with rose and jasmine. Not bad in the imp, but jasmine doesn't usually start to work its evil until it hits my skin, so I'm not optimistic! Wet on skin: rose, jasmine, not all that bad! Dry on skin: inoffensive rose and jasmine, with lovely Arabian musk. The other notes aren't distinct, but deepen the scent.
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In the bottle: a strange mix of orange and Vick's Vaporub! Wet on skin: dark, musky orange and clove, with a faint hint of mint. Orange blossom always smells of chocolate orange to me, and this is no exception! Dry on skin: rich, creamy orange blossom over tobacco and spices. A little earthy, warm and soft, and surprisingly good! I've been sitting here wondering what reminds me of Bakeneko, and I think it must be this one. Very comforting! The "colour" is orangey brown. It dries down to a warm, smooth spicy scent with a hint of orange - lovely!
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In vial: nose-tickling dry wood and incense. Wet on skin: sharp, woody, and suddenly the smell of Vick's Vaporub overwhelms me! Dry on skin: Vicks passes, although there is something sharp and headache inducing here if I inhale deeply. Very dry, musty wood, with incense, patchouli and myrrh.
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In vial: sweet and pretty! Pear, rose, lily of the valley and a hint of white musk. Wet on skin: oh so pretty! This is strikingly similar to The Presence of Love (White musk, rose-swirled amber, pink grapefruit, and jasmine) only without the evil jasmine - in fact it's what I wanted the P of L to smell like, only with pear instead of grapefruit! Dry on skin: very pretty rose, pear and white musk. It's quite faint and very sweet. Pear is the first note to fade. I will definitely use up the imp, although I'm not so sure about a bottle.
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It started out as Dorian with a blast of lavender - only it was also Snake Oil. You know those pictures that look like two different things depending on how you look at them, eg faces or a vase? It was like that, as my brain recognised both scents distinctly and focused on each of them separately. On my skin it dried down to Snake Oil only softer and powdery. On my cuff it was more Dorian. I'm not sure how much I like it yet, as Snake Oil and I do not get on well, but I'll keep the bottle for aging and see how it develops. I didn't get any floral notes at all - just a powdery vanilla/patchouli scent with just a little citrus and tea and perhaps a touch of fennel. Short wear length.
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In bottle: the lab's brown sugar note and orange. The combination reminds me of other scents I've found boozy/cakey, such as Mr Nancy and Sugar Skull, but I don't think it's actually boozy - that's just an association. Wet on skin: orange, like the orange fondant you get in chocolates, with white florals and sugar. So far I like it a lot. Dry on skin: This morphs very quickly to a sweet, light, slightly sharp, floral orange over a boozy/sugary base. Not much throw. Slightly spicy. Not sure about this. After a while it softens and become rather nice, although it's subtle and hard to pin down. It remains orangy. Short wear length, but lingers pleasantly on clothing.
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In imp: at first a waft of feral masculinity hits me in the face, but when I sniff again, it's a darker version of Vixen (orange blossom, ginger and patchouli). I love orange blossom, but don't get on well with patchouli, so I'm hoping red patchouli is kinder to me! Wet on skin: very rich (I think my imp is well-aged) and dark red, and strongly orangey. A little spicy. I think there's some dark, raunchy musk in here too. Dry on skin: strong throw. I like this. The patchouli isn't doing it's usual thing - either because it's red or because it's aged. This is well blended, dark and sexy, and sweet without being the least bit cloying. The orange is like the darkest, bitterest sort of marmalade. This lasts FOREVER! Numerous hand washings didn't get rid of it, and I can still smell it this morning! It's also very strong with a huge throw, so I'd hesitate to wear it in public for fear of causing offence! I suspect that the lab-fresh scent is a little more modest!
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In bottle: pumpkin hits my nose first. This is similar to Pumpkin V (07), yet not the same. I can make out fig and cardamom as well as orange and ginger. Yum! Wet on skin: lighter than PV07- more perfume and less pie! It's very well blended, so I can't pick out the notes very well, but the overall impression is both warm and elegant. So far so good! Orange is perhaps the most prominent note, with ginger and fig leaf, There's not much pumpkin, which is a shame because I love the PIE quality of pumpkin, but not smelling of PIE does make the scent a whole lot more wearable! Dry on skin: oh fig, I do love you so! Fig leaf is a little different from fig, but I love that too. The pumpkin/pastry is still there, but held nicely under control by the fruity notes. The ginger and cardamom add a slight edge without being obtrusive, and more importantly without leaving welts! It's warm and fruity and buttery and spicy and utterly beautiful! The sweet buttery note actually reminds me of Midway Resurrected! It stays good right into the drydown, and lasted over 8 hours close to the skin. This is seriously my favourite BPAL ever!
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In bottle: BPAL's gorgeous buttery pumpkin note, with a touch of fruit and ginger to freshen it. Wet on skin: it's very smoothly blended - definitely pumpkin, but also citrussy with a gingery tang underneath. However the citrus is really creamy rather than sharp. Dry on skin: there's no morphing going on here. It remains a lovely smooth blend of pumpkin and fruit with an underlying tang of ginger. I wish it lasted longer, though. The throw is quite good for the first couple of hours, but after that I have to huff my skin to smell it. Despite that, this has shot right up into my top 10 scents!
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In imp: light, incense-y floral with juicy orange. Wet on skin: rose, mandarin, tea and cool white musk. Perhaps a little poppy. Cool and perfumy. A little too thin and sharp for my taste. Where is the vanilla cream? It passes through a phase of being predominantly tea, then it warms up as musk and incense come out to play. Dry on skin: Ah - there's the vanilla cream, and very nice it is too! It all blends seamlessly together and the effect is beautiful. This scent seams to lie in layers, with gorgeous vanilla cream close to the skin, while the throw is somewhat sharp and incense-y. I'm not a fan of rose or violet, but I would wear this. In summary: a soft, creamy, incense-y, musky floral. The later stages are even lovelier, but at that stage it stays very close to the skin.
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n imp: surprisingly light and floral, over a dark green foresty background. Wet on skin: flowers and evergreens and musk and incense. Dry on skin: sweet, botanical and incense-y. Nice but not stunning. A bit soapy.
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In vial: slightly spicy golden resin. Wet on skin: warm, rich and golden, and very sophisticated. There's a slight cologne-y sharpness too. It's not heavy. I like it a lot so far, and I think it will age brilliantly. Dry on skin: golden amber, with something a little sweet, and something spicy that tickles my nose. Unisex and very wearable. But it gradually develops a weird note that I also get from Queen of Sheba and Brisingamen. I think I'll stick with Inez for ambery lovliness.
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2008 decant In vial: thick, white, creamy, coconut, vanilla, floral - mmmmmmmmm! Wet on skin: oh yes - there's the chilly snow! This is mostly coconut, and very pretty. It reminds me a little of Eden, but much cooler and more floral. Dry on skin: very sweet, cloying coconut. Pretty, but too sweet and bland to wear for long. Edited after almost a year: Now the coconut is all but gone and it's less sweet and bland, but very smooth and pretty. I can't really identify any notes, and it's definitely not floral, but it's pale and creamy and natural smelling. I think I might need a bottle after all - good job Beth brought it back again for 2009!
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In vial: this smells exactly like sweetened cocoa powder. Wet on skin: chocolate! More like real chocolate than Bliss or any of the other scents I've tried. Then amber emerges, and it does indeed make me think of the gold foil on chocolate coins! Dry on skin: dark chocolate, with amber giving a slightly metallic note.As time passes this softens and the amber comes out a bit more. I like this better than Bliss and a lot better than Gluttony, but I don't need more of it ... except perhaps to layer with Lick It, because that is an awesome combination!
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In vial: sweet, sugary, buttery cookies, yet also lightly perfumy! Can't wait to test it! Wet on skin: sweet and golden, still with that perfumy, almost fruity note, so that it doesn't smell directly foody. Very round and smooth - no sharp edges to this scent! Dry on skin: this is gorgeous, but it doesn't smell of cookies! It smells exactly like Lyles golden syrup, with perhaps a few cookie crumbs at the bottom! I want more of this! After an hour or so, it's gone very slightly sour, but it's still so golden syrupy that I feel my arm ought to be sticky! However, it's probably a little too cloying to become a favourite.
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In vial: RUM! and sugar - like a gentler version of Mr Nancy without the lime and tobacco. Wet on skin: RUM! and sugar - much more alcoholic version of Sugar Skull, still close to Mr Nancy. I think almond and orange rind are what brings to mind Christmas Cake batter. It's pretty strong, and not something I'd wear to work, but it smells good! Dry on skin: this is sweet and boozy and decadent. A gentler, more feminine version of Mr Nancy. I like it, but I don't think I'll need more than my decant. Short wear length. ETA: second wearing: This time I definitely got cookies - and slightly burnt ones too! I would recommend rolling the imp/bottle carefully to blend the oil before wearing. I still like it, but the burnt note is bothering me a little. It reminds me of Christmas baking! o_O
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In imp: American pancakes with lots of maple syrup and butter! Yum! Wet on skin: mostly caramel, far too faint. Good, though! Dry on skin: too faint! Too faint! The other MVJBA scent was one that required slathering too. Such a shame, because that means it's uneconomical! Yeasty pancakes with syrup. I don't really get boysenberry, but I think there's a tiny hint of fruit in the background - almost like a fruit wine. It lasted a very long time close to the skin (16 hours and counting), but had very little throw.
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In the bottle: Brown sugar and fruit in a Christmas cake kind of way. Less boozy than 2005, which didn't have fruit at all. Wet on skin: very strong, rich, dark fruit - as in the dried fruit used in a yummy rich fruit cake. A touch of creaminess too, which grows stronger as it dries. Dry on skin: there is a smoky, perfumy quality to this that takes it out of the realm of simple foodies. It's rich, dark, sweet and lovely! In comparison to 2005, this is much creamier and fruitier, with a touch of bitterness, but recognisably a new incarnation of the same scent. As always, good throw and long-lasting.
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In the bottle: dry, woody, nutty, mossy, misty autumn! Not much apple pulp yet. Wet on skin: slightly bitter, earthy, warm. It's in the same family as the other autumnal scents, yet nothing like any of them! No Vicks, not much apple, no pumpkin, no patchouli, not foody - perhaps the closest one is L'Autunno, but this is gentler and more like real autumn woodland. Dry on skin: sweet and increasingly buttery, but not foody - it's a warm, dark, earthy, subtle sweetness. It's actually very close to Pumpkin Patch #5 from 2005 - the one with 5 woods and galangal, only this is sweeter, fruitier and creamier, and just on the edge of foody. Lovely! And best of all - no itching! Not much throw and short wear length.
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In the bottle: sweeeet, fruity and creamy - like Creepy with added strawberry candy! Wet on skin: a cross between MB:Bloody Mary and Creepy. Strawberry chewy sweets - the sort with a consistency like plastic! Dry on skin: this is a very sweet, fun, light and fizzy scent. It also has a slightly perfumy quality to it, so it's quite wearable. After a few hours it loses its sharpness and becomes creamy candy, with a dry note underneath that is clearly the cotton pillowcase!