writergal969

I had some high hopes for this one, some of my favorite scents have some of the same notes (Sachs, Drag is For Everyone)

 

In the bottle: Neutral, is it you? Neutral + something femme in the bottle.

 

Wet: Sandalwood, vanilla, and skin musk and dare I say, it gets plasticky for a second on me?! Panic!

 

Dry: This has lost the plastic pretty fast, whew! I'm really getting Neutral + Some Buddies and that's not a bad thing. Clean, sheer, and feminine. I can see being about to wear this to more scent-subdued locations or just day-to-day for that clean, fresh feeling.

 

Glad to support the cause!

 

Rating: 7.5/10

In the bottle: Not much of anything? I'm getting some skin scent and something a little sharp.

 

Wet: ooh, this reminds me of something...Pedio? Zorya P? It's much less in-your-face though.

 

Drydown: This is clean, soft, and feminine but my skin just EATS it. Still, I really like it. It's a little sister to the scents I mentioned before and is more subdued. I do like it. We'll see how much I wear it because I'm not a slatherer and I'm going to have to with this one.

 

Rating: The scent is divine so 8/10.

In the bottle: SWEET. Hello honey. Just a little green around the edges.

Wet: Still honey, but some spice is already peeking out.

Drydown: honey and cardamom with a floral carnation edge but it's mostly honey. I don't even get creamy honey with the honey milk, just real, raw honey. It's pretty f'kin good but I'm not sure I'm going to wear it enough to justify my blind bottle.

 

 

Overall: So much sweeter than I expected, was hoping the spice would pipe up but it seems that honey is queen today.

Rating: 6/10

Oh I have a winner. A true winner. My #1 BPAL is The Girl, and this....this is The Girl's older sister who still has that air of mystery, a soft vanillic floral, and something seductive (I think the description said voluptuous?) and mature. Ava is so beautiful. She definitely has the same 'floriental' vibe but Ava's got more vanilla behind it and it just feels sexier than TG on me.

 

After wearing this for hours, they both smell very similar on my skin and I'll have to test them against one another tonight. It's just that wrist-huffing mystery note that made me fall in love with The Girl in the first place but updated and fresh with some delicious vanilla.

 

Ironically many of the notes listed in Ava are not always great on me. I am #blessed that this one worked. So. Good.

 

I bought two bottles blind and I'm a slow-use BPALer but I'm going to need one more at least. I can see wearing this every damn day of my life. <3 <3 <3

 

It smells so good in the bottle...! Except...in the tub it's the little Christmas-tree shaped air freshener with a touch of soft sugary marshmallow. I don't like pine scents so it's a no for me.

Oh dear, I'm first!

Well, this one I'm nervous about because it was a whim of a blind bottle. I'm gonna admit now I usually don't seek out vetiver, and I often outright avoid it. It can be a scent-hog and often drowns out the rest. But here I go!

Fresh-from-the-mail testing:

In the bottle: I am pleasantly surprised. This smells like an expensive, sophisticated unisex perfume/cologne to me in the bottle. I think the vetiver gives it a little push towards cologne but I also get a small sniff of the red currant too.

 

Wet: I'm getting a cacophony of scent! I can't tell what I'm smelling but so far, so good...! My husband has tried to help me but is shaking his head no. He said it he smells powder, I think that's the amber.

Dry down: I'm still having a hard time sniffing the individual notes. I can't really suss anything out other than I think the most dominant scent is myrrh and amber. I am getting the powdery scent too now and something a little creamy which is either the rice milk or amber cream. However, when I huff this for science ...I'm starting to get a little headachey... I can't find the red currants and I got it for that + rice milk. Honestly, there must only be a trickle of vetiver, because i can't find it's earthy astringent self anywhere on my skin.

3.1 RE-TEST:

 

Okay, what a difference a few days make. The headache-inducing high-pitched note is calm, and it's a creamy, red-fruited myrrh scent on me...and now I love it. I need to stop testing fresh!

Fresh from the mail, a few hours rested:

 

In the bottle: Huh. Creamy and vanillic with a tiny punch of non-aggressive floral.

 

Wet: I think this buttery scent is the orris butter + vanilla...little bergamot coming out to play. I'm getting a...medicinal scent? But it's not bad! It's just...strange.

 

Dry down: powdery but not baby powder - I think this is the amber and not the orris. Still some creamy vanilla hanging out on the edges, but there is a really strange medicinal quality to this one on me...and then there are sniffs that are just f'kn amazing. I'm so confused! I would second that this is totally more of a spring/summer scent. It's floral, but not FLORAL.

I'm still thrown off by the medicinal plastic bandage whiff I get, I'm going to chalk it up to fresh-from-the-mail-ness.. I really want to like this and at other times, the whiffs I'm getting are amazing.

 

Verdict: I'll give this baby some time to settle in, but iffy on whether I need it in my life.

Fresh from the mail, rested a few hours:

 

Bottle: it's hard to smell in the bottle, but I'm getting white tea.

 

Skin wet: white tea and vanilla orchid, the sandalwood is keeping this from going in-yo-face floral on me. Sweetness...is that you, honeycomb?

Dry: Ooh...I like you. If I put my nose right on the skin, I get the sharp floral of the vanilla orchid but the throw on this is reasonably low and at a distance I'm getting a really mellow, sophisticated scent. It goes a little sharp though when I get in close. I like mild tea scents, and this white tea is delicate and not too strong.

Verdict: Winner, winner chicken dinner, but no backups needed.

I really want to love this, but I'm getting a weird leather smell which seems to be the oudh and musk duking it out. There was a brief moment before drydown where I got a lovely amber lavender with some oudh, but I am getting sueded lavender now and it's really strong and I do. not. like. I put a small dab on my arm and I can still smell it through two layers of clothes. So sad!

With BPAL, I only apply enough that I can smell me and anyone else has to zoom in to get a whiff (and no one does because hello that's creepy to do to a co-worker.) I'm a dabber not a slatherer, so I never have real issues. Some bpal does give me a headache/sneezies so I keep it away from my face by only applying on wrists and inner elbow if I'm wearing long sleeves (I don't put much on if I'm wearing short sleeves. )

 

As someone who hates smelling other people's intensely over-applied alcohol based perfumes (think a skunk-trail in their wake when they leave a room) I find BPAL is about 90% less offensive than anything alcohol based.

 

Full disclosure, I used to get allergy shots and I'd wear my bpal into the waiting room which is a 'scent free' zone (coming from work usually, where I do wear BPAL daily.) I never set anyone off, no one ever mentioned my perfume or any issues, and even the nurses administering shots never mentioned being able to smell my perfume and they were right by my arms (and I'd heard them comment to people that their hairspray was too strong, etc.) If you dab and avoid the big ballsy scents (I don't tend to like incense/leather/tobacco/smoke much) I don't see you having any issues at work.

In Bottle: Lavender!

 

Wet: a little soapy, but still Lavender!

 

Dry: Wow this got sophisticated quick. This is a super clean scent but it is NOT at all soapy or powdery...pretty amazing in it's own right. I'm getting an ozonic metal + amber and lavender. It's pretty dang nice.

In Bottle: I'm getting that 'plastic-in-a-good-way' smell that I get from Pediophobia!

Wet: I'm getting more of a Pediophobia vibe, but way more floral. Again, not a bad thing.

Dry: Not much vanilla, but a really nice floral musk that does not go powdery at all. It's got a sharpness to it that I really like. I feel like a sexy headmistress. It's like a...powerful but older vibe. It's neither close to Zorya P or Pediophobia on me when dry...but it's definitely in the same family.

 

Verdict: I'm glad I bought a bottle. May not go through it fast, but for now it's in the keep pile.

In the bottle: this smells like Lilith's HG!

 

Wet: okay, this is a nice lavender and coconut!

 

Dry: Oh hey, it's the Single Note: French Vanilla vanilla in here and unlike the SN:French Vanilla this DOES NOT go to plastic candle hell! It's a nice and simple blend of lavender, coconut, and vanilla and I can tell all three apart on my skin. Bonus: my husband even likes it! I can't wear TKO due to the hell of burning-sugar-dryer-sheet but this, this I can do. It goes great with Lilith's HG at bedtime... I need more!

Verdict: Buy a 2nd bottle.

I split a bottle with someone mostly because my first dog was named Mabel and I miss her like crazy. I know that doesn't make sense since the notes don't really remind me of my doggo, buuuuut I'm glad I did it

 

First off, I don't usually like most of these notes...Rose-tinted amber, golden chypre, ambergris, tobacco leaf, and clove...but the chypre got my attention. Clove is usually a nope for me, as is tobacco as I amp them. I'm pretty on the fence about ambergris as well.

 

When I put this on wet, I smell like someone's sophisticated granny. It doesn't go into powdery sharp granny-mode but it gets damn close and I was definitely worried for a few minutes there.

 

On drydown, I'm getting a little more rose and tobacco. Touch of rosy amber.

 

About an hour later, this is absolutely lovely. I can smell pretty much everything but the ambergris. I'm getting a soft rosy amber that neither goes powdery like some ambers or sharp like some roses, a hint of warm tobacco, and the clove isn't coming off as a roundhouse kick to the face like usual...it's mostly just a spicy background note. It may be a 'mature' scent, but I wouldn't call it 'granny-like' anymore. It's sophisticated and warm and pretty perfect for fall.

 

I may have to find another half bottle...

God I want to like this...I really, really do...but it's another exercise in failure for The Illustrated Woman for me. I was hoping fresh 2017 wouldn't go wonky on me but argh, she's gotta go.

 

In the bottle it's amazing...but all I get on my skin is sharp hamster-bedding pine or pencil shavings. It crushes everything else that's beautiful about it and I'm just...a stinky pine. SO SAD!

Off to the sales bin...

In the bottle - kind of a chocolate-floofy-creamy mint, mmm...like those little melt-in-your-mouth mints you get at a fancy event with a touch of marshmallow.

 

Wet on skin - creamy sweet mint with a light floral edge and sharp sugar, huh...not what I expected. Where's the rose?!

 

Dry - oh this is nice, the white rose and frank comes out sharply but complimentary and mingles with the vanilla mint. Not sure I got any red currant, but it's very pretty and lightly floral.

 

This smells great! I put it on at 10 p.m. to test and it was going strong when I woke up the next a.m. I think she's a winner!

I just anointed my chakras so we'll see. Smells woodsy and minty and actually really nice in the bottle.

 

I have internet drama I just want to let go and I'm hoping this helps remove the obstacle. May add some White Light to help calm me down.

The scent alone is actually really centering and calming.

I let it rest for a day but couldn't wait.

 

In the bottle: It smells like a vanilla that's going to go plastic on me. Noooo!

On wet: Ok, well, no plastic! Yes! Very vanilla. My husband said "mmmm" so this is promising.

 

Dry: I swear, is this the Pediophobia vanilla?! It's lovely vanilla now that it's dried down. There's something high pitched in the vanilla for me that reminds me of Pediophobia, though. I am pretty sure 'dry flowers and linens' is coming off just a weeeee bit crayon-wax but I actually enjoy that? Plus my husband is like, in love with this one. He's huffing my wrist without me asking.

 

Verdict: keeping at least one bottle. Maybe I'll just keep both because my husband is never this interested in my bpal... He is adamant that this is amazing and I should bathe in it. I like it, but not as much as he does!

Torture Queen's chrome reads ozone on me, but your mileage may vary.

I'm so bummed. All I get is dryer sheet and cologne. Sneeze fest. Noooo!!!!

 

Also The Girl is my grail and I found no hint or relation to it here so sad.

Ok here I go again:

 

1) The Girl

2) Parsifal

3) Pediophobia

4) The Waltz

5) Morocco

 

Thanks!

It's beautiful in the bottle, but I get fake strawberries on my arm. ALAS! Off to the swaps...

This is really soft and beautiful - creamy vanilla apple with patch. It starts off with a strong flow, but dies down very quickly. I really like it, but I wish it stuck around a little longer.

This patch seems similar to the one found in Fake News and Badgers. I definitely get a more woodsy dry scent thanks to the sandalwood and Frank. Not my thing, but it definitely does evoke a very pirate-y feel. Maybe I should wear this on Pirates at Disney!

This is straight up amazing. Basically the same patch that's in Badgers to my nose but more upscale and spicy where Badgers goes sweet. I will be adding a bottle to my next order. Very nice.