stardreamer

This is a sweet mix of vanilla and light floral; the grounding notes never really become apparent, but they do provide a lasting base for the upper notes. For a while it balanced precariously on the edge of becoming "old lady perfume", but never quite did. My skin doesn't amp the vanilla as much as usual in this -- it stays pretty balanced. Staying power is good; at 9 hours I could still catch it, at 11 it was pretty much gone. Bottom line: It's not going to be a top favorite, but still a keeper. It'll be nice for occasions when I want a more traditional, floral kind of scent that I can still stand.

First impression: Citrusy. This could be a problem; BPAL citrus scents don't last well on me. Fresh on: Yes, very citrusy -- lemon and grapefruit -- and not very strong. Drydown: I get a bit of the orchid and some tea once the citrus backs off. What I don't get: amber, leather, mint, wood. Bottom line: I actually wore this 3 different times before writing the review. The notes I had hoped would dominate in this blend are almost completely absent; what's left is a citrus/tea mix that quickly fades to tea with a hint of floral. Staying power is poor; after 6 hours it's pretty much gone. It's a pleasant enough scent, but there's no reason to keep it when I have Kumiho and Embalming Fluid. Swap pile for this one.

First impression: Cranberry candle! Fortunately, on drydown the waxy "Yankee Candle" impression goes away. This is extremely cranberry -- more cranberry than Lampades, and more than Punkie Night by far. I think the cranberry impression may be reinforced by a "christmasy" undertone of pine. Cedar is a mere sharpness, and I don't get tomato leaf at all. Long-term, the pine note does come up a bit more, so that by the end of the day it's a very seasonal cranberry/pine mix. Staying power is decent; after 9 hours it's barely there, but I can still catch a whiff if I sniff closely. Bottom line: a definite keeper, and probably an alternate for Bordello; they're both very "red" scents, but this is darker and more complex, better suited to cooler weather.

This goes on very sharp, with the cedar much to the fore. As it dries down, the smoky note and the fir come out strongly... and there it stops. No musk, no amber, no leather. It's reminiscent of Dee, and distinctly inferior to Quincy Morris. And it sounded so promising, but this is like being in a softwood forest, and not in a good way. I'll give this one another chance or two, but unless I get a better balance, it's a swap. ETA, June 2007: The next couple of times I tried it, it went all "grandmothery" on me. Definitely a swap.

First impression: Ew, way too buttery! Where'd that come from? There's no butter listed in this! On skin: The butter backs down quickly, which is a Good Thing. I can smell the pumpkin and some of the spices. Drydown: After 20 or 30 minutes, the amber amps up, along with a sweetness that's probably the fig leaf (although amber does tend to go sweet on me as well). Beyond an hour, amber is all I'm getting. Staying power seems light for the strength of scent -- 6 to 8 hours and it's barely there. Bottom line: Between the too-buttery opening and the relatively short period before it becomes pure amber, this is a disappointment. I'll try it at least once more before making a final decision, but I think it's going to be a swap.

First impression: Butter pastry! Maybe a bit too much so... Drydown: Okay, the butter backs off a bit and the cakes and honey come up. That's a better balance. I never get wine at all, not even as "berry" the way it usually reads on me. I'm going to have to compare-and-contrast this with Eat Me; I think it's a little darker, but definitely in the same family. Staying power seems to be good; I've had it on for close to 10 hours and it's still quite noticeable. Bottom line: Worth keeping and using up, but probably not a second order. Edit, June 2007: When I tried to wear this again, it got overpowering, and seemed to be trying to head for burnt-sugar territory. Someone else mentioned "buttercream", and that's probably the reason. It's in the swap pile now.

First impression: Cider! Lots of apple; I didn't get the cranberry until I thought about Lampades, but then I could smell it. And it pretty well stays that way, apple and cranberry mixed. The cranberry lends a bit of sharpness, and overall it's fairly light. Staying power is moderate; it was fading fast at the 8-hour mark. This won't displace Verdandi as my favorite apple scent, but it's definitely worth keeping and using up. I think it would work well in warmer weather, too -- it's not strictly autumnal. Bottom line: Nice.

In the bottle and fresh on: OH. MY. GHOD. This is amazingly chocolate, darker than Bliss but with the same rich, almost grainy feel. (Odd to be describing a scent as textured, but this one really is.) Drydown: Yes, there's more than chocolate here. I don't really smell cream; what I get is almost boozy, like the alcohol carrier in vanilla extract. And there's just the tiniest bit of floral after a while, but not enough to be annoying. Staying power: Pretty good, but after about 6 hours the chocolate top note starts to fade and the boozy underscent comes to the fore, and that's not as nice. But y'know... if I have to top this up a bit more frequently, and wash off the last bits before I go to bed, it's still SO worth it. Bottom line: Definite keeper. I'll be experimenting with this -- I want to try layering it with Bliss and see what happens. And I'll almost certainly wear it for Chocolate Decadence next year!

When I read this, my first thought was, "Hey, that sounds like Tombstone without the sassafras!" And indeed this is very much what I'd hoped to get from Tombstone before discovering that sassafras doesn't work for me. The primary scent is leather, with vanilla-sweet and cedar-sharp underneath. For once, the vanilla doesn't amp up much on my skin -- it stays a sweet undernote. I never really caught the tobacco or pear, and I suspect that the musk is just a grounding in this blend. It's on the masculine side, but in a way that feels tomboyish rather than inappropriate; Annie Oakley would have worn a scent like this, I think. I'll join the chorus saying that it's the same leather note as Dead Man's Hand, but in a more complex blend. Staying power is a little strange; it dropped fairly quickly to "little or no throw", and then stayed active for quite a while. Ten hours later, I can still catch a faint whiff on my wrists -- and there's the barest hint of the aquatic note that someone mentioned above, which I hadn't picked up at all until now. Bottom line: this is going to be not just a keeper, but likely a favorite.

First impression: Damn, it's that burnt-sugar smell again, like someone tried to make caramel on the stove and scorched the batch. And this one doesn't even have the Dreaded Rum in it! Fresh on: Yes, definitely burnt sugar; also, I can smell the butteriness now as a smoother underlayer. After a couple of hours: The cedar smoke puts in an appearance as the buttery note fades back. Now it really does smell sort of hearthlike. Sadly, nothing ever damps down the burnt-sugar note, and I really don't want to smell like that. I wish I knew what was causing it this time, because I think I would have liked this blend otherwise. Bottom line: swap pile.

One of the most accurate descriptions I've run across. This is entirely aquatic, with an overtinge of the smell that comes off a van de Graaf generator (which isn't really ozone, but that's what we call it). I'm going to have to compare-and-contrast it with Tempest; I think it's a little sharper. The staying power of this scent is awesome. I actually wore this yesterday, all day long, and could still catch traces of it when I got up this morning. For that alone, I think it's worth keeping, since I do like aquatic scents. Oops. Re-reading that description has given me an earworm. Lightning splits the midnight sky; Cat and serpent locked in struggle Come too near to where it lies, Feeding on the lightning's fire... - "Madcoil", words and music copyright by Julia Ecklar

I like carnation (one of the few florals that appeals to me!), and I like plum, and musk isn't necessarly a warn-off (unless it's "red musk"), so I thought I'd probably like this one. Unfortunately, something in the combination of ingredients Just Doesn't Work with my skin. It's much too floral and too sweet, and dries down into a soapy mess. Damn, I think I just figured it out. It's the combination of carnation and musk; apparently carnation is not an exception to my personal equation of floral + musk = floral soap. Bloody hell. Swap pile for this one.

Fresh on, I mostly notice the florals and patchouli. Okay, but nothing special. Drydown is a different story. Oh. My. Ghod. The florals go away and it turns into chocolate and leather, with just enough incense underneath that something in the way they interact resembles amber. It's what Golden Priapus would be like with dark chocolate instead of vanilla. This is FABULOUS. Staying power is good; at 8 hours it was still there, at 12 it's pretty much gone. Bottom line: one to keep and wear often!

At first sniff, this is floral, but a nice, non-obnoxious floral with some sweet spiciness underneath it. Over time, the iris drops out and the sandalwood and herbs come to the fore. It's actually a fairly neutral scent -- it's there, purring along in the background, but not in-your-face at all. Something to wear when you want a bit of a lift, but don't want to Make Yourself Noticed. Staying power is moderate to good -- it doesn't hold up well in the daytime Texas summer heat, but is still quite present after 6 hours in the later evening. Bottom line: not a top-rank favorite, but a definite keeper nonetheless.

Samhain '05 I've had this one for a while too, and am only now getting around to trying it. In the bottle and fresh on, I get mostly the spices and something sharp and a bit camphor-ish which is probably the fir. Fortunately, the sharp note fades quickly, and after 15 or 20 minutes the patchouli and pumpkin come out and provide a grounding for the spice notes. Over the long term, I get almost a honey scent, similar to the one in O -- it has the same languid, sensual feel without being quite as brazenly seductive. Staying power is very good; after 5 hours, it's still quite noticeable. Bottom line: I really like this, though it's decidedly an autumn/winter scent only. A definite keeper.

First impression: Citrus! That's the grapefruit, all right. Unfortunately, BPAL citrus scents have NO staying power on my skin, and once it's gone the rest blends into... soap. Nice soap, but still not something I really want to smell like. I've noticed before that florals of any kind plus musk produce soap on me, so I'm blaming the lemon verbena. :-) R's reaction: "What is that, eau de Tide?" *sigh* Swap pile for this one.

Hmph. Yes, I can pick up a little of the amber underneath, but the "dark fruits of Proserpine" appear to boil down to one thing only: PINE. (Well, and maybe a little juniper.) Strong pine. As in "Pine-Sol". It goes on smelling of pine cleanser and never balances out, and I have to actively sniff at it to notice the amber at all. It might make a nice room scent, if your fussy Southern aunt was coming over and you wanted to impress her with how nice and clean your house smells. Bottom line: swap pile.

What can I say? I like vanilla, I like amber, I like the combination; the sweet pea is light enough not to be too floral, and the sandalwood provides a nice grounding under the amber. It's not quite to the level of OMG FAVORITE!!!, but it's certainly something I'll use and enjoy. Staying power is pretty good -- after 9 hours, it's still noticeable. Bottom line: I'm glad I ordered it, and not surprised that I like it.

Oddly, the first impression I get from this is aquatic! There's some floral too, and a hint of something sharpish underneath it all. It's fairly light, without much throw, and doesn't really change on drydown. Staying power is fair -- still detectable, though weak, after 6 hours. Sadly, it just doesn't appeal to me, either on a pure-scent or an associational basis. Someone else will like it better.

Honey and herbs sounded good, but this is... floral? I had the same problem with the honey single-note; I suspect that this is the same honey used in that, not the rich sweet honey note found in O. At any rate, it's really too floral for my taste, though it's not an unpleasant scent by any means -- I'm just not a floral kind of gal. Bottom line: swap pile.

I actually like this better than I thought I might. I was a little worried about the bourbon, since I have trouble with rum as a component, but no problemo. If anything, it's like a light, sweet amber with just a touch of brown sugar. I don't pick up the mint at all. As it fades, the brown-sugar note gets slightly stronger, until that's the last thing left. Staying power is pretty good; I can still pick up a bit of it after 8 hours, including running errands in the heat. This works reasonably well even now, but I think it's really going to come into its own as a fall scent when the weather cools off a bit. Bottom line: definitely a keeper.

First impression: spicy/fruity; I can pick up just a bit of the carnation in the background, but fruit is dominant. It stays well-balanced throughout wearing; unfortunately, the staying power is only fair, and going out in the summer heat drives it off very quickly. Six hours after application, there's barely a trace of sweet plum left. Still, this is a pleasant light warm-weather scent -- just not really for the hottest part of the summer, I think. Certainly worth keeping and using up the imp. Oh, and whoever guessed "red musk" -- I don't think so. Red musk does the overpowering "I smell like a NewAge store" thing on my skin, and this didn't even begin to approach that.

First impression: very pastry-like, almost too much so. I like eating donuts; I don't necessarily want to smell like one! Fortunately, after 20 minutes or so, my skin does its normal vanilla amp-up and the currants come out to play. That's a lot better -- fruity-sweet generally works well for me. Staying power is moderate; after about 4 hours, the currant is pretty much all that's left. Bottom line: this isn't going to be a top-rank favorite, but I like it enough to keep.

First impression: Fruity! Wearing: This is really nice. It has the same kind of fruitiness as Bordello, but isn't as berry-sweet. Looking at the ingredients, I think I'm getting an extremely good blend -- nothing individual stands out. "Fruit salad" is a very accurate description! The chili pepper is mostly evident as a deep grounding under the fruity notes, balancing out the sweetness. It's not what I would have expected for a god of wrath and fire, but maybe the Lab chose to emphasize his persuasive qualities instead. We were in and out all day in the heat, so I kept touching it up and can't make a good estimate on staying power. Bottom line: This is a definite keeper, and may be a 5ml purchase.

A gentle white scent, breezes laced with the scent of springtime blooms and citrus. Lemon, lemon verbena, neroli, white musk, white florals, white sandalwood, China musk, bergamot and a drop of vanilla. This sounded more promising than it turned out to be. It goes on pleasant enough, lightly floral but not FLORAL, if you take my meaning. But as it dries down there's something underpinning the sweet top notes that I just don't like. I suspect it's the neroli, as I've had problems with that before. It ends up being nice if I'm actually sniffing it and paying attention to the top notes, but off-putting if I'm just catching a whiff here and there as I work. Bottom line: swap pile for this one.