elinox

First Sniff: Sweet smokiness with something thick underneath. Wet: On wet there was some sort of flower in this. Dry: There’s something cloying in this at first. As it dried, I think amber is coming through which makes it almost like a soft leather; almost, but it doesn’t last. Once it dried completely it smelled like how I would imagine paper in a magician’s library would smell: with incense infused onto the pages and flickering candlelight. My Reaction: It’s dark but not sinister in my mind. And there’s some sort of soft incense in it too which I’m not sure I like. I definitely get syrup somehow and while it’s different than other scents I have from the lab, I don’t know if it’s interesting enough for me to keep. Rating 1-5: 2

First Sniff: Delightful, fresh juniper. Wet: Juniper that has a something softer to it, the lavender, I assume. Dry: As it dried the lavender was light and lovely. Its fresh smelling from the juniper and verbena and calming from the lavender, which is nice. I’m not getting any nutmeg or cypress though. (Cypress I would assume to be like cedar, which I don’t like anyway.) My Reaction: I loved the combination of fresh juniper and soft lavender, but the lighter aquatics don’t seem to like me so I knew this was going to fade quickly since it’s so light and soft! Rating 1-5: 2.5

First Sniff: Medicinal, like menthol (from the mint). Wet: Berry, like gummy candy, mixed with menthol. It smells like yucky medicine. There might be a rose in here, but I think the grape is making it wonky. Dry: As it dried I was still getting the gummy candy sort of smell. But once it dried completely, it smelled like a light berry. My Reaction: I did not care for the initial smell, the medical menthol was not pleasant, but once it dried it was feminine and pleasant. I really started to like the grape smell, but unfortunately, it’s been about 10 minutes and it’s already so very light on me, even after a double application. Rating 1-5: 2.5 EDIT: Hours later, I’ve got to edit my initial review. This is still light, but it smells like grape candy which is yummy. And it reminds me of a childhood stuffed animal which smells like sweet grapes, which I was ecstatic over! Rating 1-5: 3.5

First Sniff: Coco and fresh leather. Wet: Some sort of jungle flower; where’d the chocolate go? Dry: As it dried it was mostly watery flowers, but every once in a while I would get that bite of leather. Once it dried completely it was a toned down leather smell mixed with soft rainforest flowers. My Reaction: The leather is softer then the leather I get in Jolly Roger, but it’s still not the leather I’m looking for (I want worn and soft leather, not biting and fresh). Every so often I get a whiff of the coco still there, but it’s buried and too faint. Its leather mixed with some aquatic flowers with a bit of coco peeking through so the description seems fairly accurate. Rating 1-5: 2

First Sniff: Wow, fresh ripe berry! With a teeny hint of cinnamon underneath, but it’s really faint. Wet: Sugary red candy; I think I’m getting the Red Hots candy others have described. It’s turning into burning strong cinnamon! Dry: As it began to dry it was sharp, biting cinnamon, and reminded me of Big Red gum. Once it dried completely it was a bit softer, but still cinnamon. I’m hoping the almond peaks through eventually. My Reaction: Whereas Chimera was soft, warm cinnamon, this is harsh and violent cinnamon at first. After reading some of the reviews I became worried about it burning on my wrists due to my sensitive skin, but no bad reaction so far. Based on the name, I had anticipated something burning with smoke and fire, obviously, and the strong in-your-face cinnamon did not disappoint on that front! It’s different than anything else I have from the lab, but I think I’ll stick to Chimera for my cinnamon fix. Rating 1-5: 2.5

First Sniff: A fresh, juicy apple. A bit on the candied side though. Wet: Something perfumey came through and it was pure yuck. The apple is still there, but really faint now. Dry: As it dried, it stayed light but the initial perfume grossness faded. Now it reminds me of fruit ready to be picked in springtime. Once it dried completely (which is about 15 minutes for me) there was some apple still there but it mostly turned into a deeper berry smell; Frumious Bandersnatch’s little, timid cousin. My Reaction: The deeper smell is interesting, but not what I was expecting. I had hoped to amp the apple in this one, but either I’m still not slathering on enough or most BPAL scents just don’t like my skin chemistry. There is also no throw with this and it’s fading on my wrists already. It had potential though! Rating 1-5: 2

First Sniff: Faint lemon Pinesol, yuck! Wet: More fresh cut lemons come through. As it began to dry it was pure lemon. Dry: This is not the same lemon scent as I got with Mag Mell or Ehecatl (which were more lemon drop candy smelling) but rather lemon from the fruit itself. It’s fresh and very citrus-centric. Once it dried completely though it was light and I think I can detect the white musk. It’s faint though so I’m sure this will fade quickly. My Reaction: While this is fresh and pleasant, it is too light and I’m just not a fan of lemon in any of its forms. I’ll give this one more test but I’m pretty sure it will be in my swap pile soon! Rating 1-5: 1

First Sniff: Something astringent which then starts to become fresh and light. Wet: Some sort of flower I am unfamiliar with (I would assume it’s the vetivert?). Since its light and fresh, I’m assuming it’s an aquatic type of flower. It’s very light already though. Dry: As it dried, it became so soft and light. It’s definitely reminiscent of air as far as elements go. I’m still getting that soft flower which is different than the typical soft, feminine florals most oils turn to on me. Once it dried completely it slowly morphed into something murky, which is not going to be good, I fear. My Reaction: I had assumed, before reading the description, that this would be a mix of both air and water, but it’s just light air. It’s pleasant, but very, very faint already and it’s only been about 10 minutes since the initial application. Rating 1-5: 1

First Sniff: Something earthy. Wet: Now there’s that leather note I’ve gotten used to sniffing out. Dry: As it dried, all I got was the leather. It’s lighter than in other leather scents I have like in Jolly Roger or Tombstone. Once it dried completely I was still only getting a light leather smell. My Reaction: While the leather is pleasant enough, I already have that in other oils from the lab. After reading the description I had hoped it would evolve into apricot, but I guess patchouli is the leather smell for me. At one point, I thought I caught throw of popcorn-ishness which would be altogether too strange for this one! To the trade pile it goes! Rating 1-5: 1

First Sniff: Something pungent, almost leather-like, and not what I was expecting at all! Wet: Leather is coming through like how I get it from Tombstone. It quickly goes to light, faintness though as it begins to dry. Dry: This wasn’t even completely dry yet and it was already fading away into nothingness. Unless this morphs dramatically it’s not looking good. Once it dried completely there was a dusty smell to it which I assume is the orris. My Reaction: Once dried, it was way too light on me. I can still detect tiny hints of the leather smell, but it’s really just powdery and too light. I’m sure this will fade away within the hour. Rating 1-5: 1

First Sniff: A heavy, dark pine. Wet: Much the same as the first sniff; this is definitely masculine! Dry: As it dried, it maintained that musk scent. I haven’t gotten any soft heather yet. But once it dried completely it went very soft on me. And now it’s completely different than the first sniff and has become something very light and feminine! My Reaction: Like the imp’s namesake Puck, this morphed and confused me something awful! First it was reminiscent of a dark, wet forest, perfect for a male, then it was flowery and pale, good for a female. Honestly, I liked the initial impression better as I’ve already got a lot of scents that are powdery and soft on me. This one had potential, but I’ll stick to my Loup Garou for my woodsy scent. Rating 1-5: 2 EDIT: After having this on for about an hour, it changed back to being mildly masculine with ragwort (I think?) mixing in to make this actually bother my allergies. Sadly, I’m going to have to wash this one off!

First Sniff: Delicious soft cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg, yummy! Wet: Brown sugar comes through and I’m hoping this will be a tasty foodie scent. It reminds me of pumpkin cookies or sugar cookies; fresh and warm from the oven! Dry: As it dried, and after I peaked at the description, I really am getting maple syrup from this. Once it dried completely, the ginger and the syrup were content to be together, although quietly. Despite being faint, it was lovely and comforting overall. (I’ve got to figure out a way to make these scents stay and be stronger on me!) My Reaction: I expected something sugary sweet and this is it; although not in a nasty, overly-sugary sort of way. The maple syrup was a nice surprise although it does make me hungry for waffles or pancakes! And I think the hint of nutmeg plays off the other notes very nicely. Rating 1-5: 4

First Sniff: Buttered rum with some licorice. Wet: Buttered rum at first and then plywood. Dry: As it dried, the plywood stuck around which was not pleasant. I’m still getting buttered rum and I think I can pick out some sweet caramel too. My Reaction: The rum and the slight hint of caramel are lovely, but the overlying note of plywood is not. Sadly, I did not get coconut or coconut rum with this at all. And honestly, I did not expect Grog to smell sweet, but rather have some orange peel in it mixed with a salty aquatic. The plywood note could be reminiscent of a pirate ship, but I envision that being more of a wet wood smell rather than dry, freshly cut plywood. Rating 1-5: 2

First Sniff: Sugary vanilla that turns into crisp apples. Wet: Pumpkin spice and light cinnamon. Dry: As it dries, I get dry wood reminiscent of the wood I got from Miskatonic University (yuck plywood!). I can still smell the vanilla though, but it’s taken a backseat. Once it dried completely it was light and smelled like pumpkin spice again. There’s also a sweetness to this which I like. My Reaction: I liked this, despite it being light on my skin. It’s the best autumn scent I've found so far! Rating 1-5: 3

First Sniff: Clean and fresh and I think I’m picking up on the ambergris. Wet: Soft white flowers; gardenia and lily. Dry: As it dried, the gardenia stuck around and was tamed a bit by something more musky in the background. It’s so very light on my skin though so I doubt it’ll have much staying power on me! Once it dried completely there was a new scent in the mix, something earthy which I’m guessing is either the orange peel or the ebony wood. It’s subtle and tames the light gardenia. It's still so very light though! My Reaction: Based on the name, I was expecting booze and smoke as would be appropriate for any typical tavern. However this is light, feminine and airy and not dark at all. It’s pleasant, but I have other light scents I prefer. Rating 1-5: 1.5

First Sniff: Lemon with an undercurrent of warm vanilla. Wet: A bit of soft leather with very faint vanilla. It smells warm and comforting so far. Dry: I’m getting soft baby powder as it dries. I think there’s also some rose in this which is part of what’s making it so soft and lovely. There’s just enough leather in this though to make it a different sort of rose than my favorite go-to for roses, The Rose. My Reaction: I don’t know what I was expecting from this, something dark and Halloweeny perhaps, but this was definitely not it! This was soft kitty and warmth that I had hoped to get from the reviews on Coyote. It’s comforting and reminds me of home and family. Not exactly my kitty’s scent, but with the name it’s enough to make me think of her while sniffing it which makes me happy. While I’m not sure if I like the soft baby powdery-ness this becomes, I did like how warm and friendly it smelled. Rating 1-5: 3

First Sniff: Very tart green apple. Wet: There’s a smokiness on top of the fresh apple smell. Dry: As it dried, the initial sharp tartiness died down into regular ol’ sour apple. It reminds me of the sour apple Jolly Rancher. The overall smell was faint though. My Reaction: Once it dried completely I was still getting light Jolly Rancher with smoke over top of it. I like this, however, like most BPAL scents, it’s really light smelling on me. Perhaps I’m not slathering on enough with only 3 passes from the wand thinger? Rating 1-5: 2.5

First Sniff: Salty sweet booze. Wet: This smells similar to Jolly Roger, although not as full of spicy rum and more geared towards a female. There’s something different in this though, perhaps the gunpowder? Dry: As it’s drying, it becomes very light and feminine. Once it dried completely I could barely smell it, and that’s saying something! I think I caught a hint of the salty ocean, but other than that it’s faded almost into nothingness is less than a half hour! My Reaction: As I kept sniffing my wrists, I would come away with the occasional salty water smell, or sarsaparilla, which is nice. However I have Pool of Tears as my go-to aquatic scent and Thombstone’s sarsaparilla was stronger and more enjoyable than this. It’s a warm scent, which is probably helped by the leather, but it’s just simply too light on me! I had high hopes that this would be a feminine form of Jolly Roger (which works great on my husband but not so much on me). However, it just faded away too fast that I don’t see a point in keeping this, despite it being for a female pirate and the notes mentioned in it. I feel like I’m doing something wrong with BPAL as most scents end up being so light or flowery on me! Rating 1-5: 1

First Sniff: A deep booze scent, wine with maybe some dark cherries in it. Wet: I can smell the patchouli in this and this proves to be a complicated smell with lots of notes. Dry: At first it made my nose tingle from so many notes, as they seem to be vying for dominance in it. There’s a dark red smell underlying everything which I’m guessing is the wine. As it dried, I got berries which were nice: Similar to my reaction to Frumious Bandersnatch, although not as strong, more like they’re matured berries. My Reaction: Despite all the notes described in this, it’s maturing into a pleasant all-around scent. It’s not particularly strong, and I did not get any ‘castle’ or ‘armor’ out of this sadly, but the image of a large feast is definitely there. Once it dried completely it was still a complex scent; I think I even got some of the wood described and it didn't turn saw dusty on me, yay! The mulled wine and dragon’s blood reminded me of calming cinnamon. It’s nice and definitely autumn/winter appropriate; however, the complex scents don’t really appeal to me all that much. It’s interesting, but on me I think too many different notes want control. Rating 1-5: 2.5

First Sniff: Heavy ozone with light iron. Wet: On wet it definitely has a metallic scent to it. Dry: As it dried, it became lighter and had an almost flowery quality to it. I think either the myrrh or the clove is making me think there are lilies in this. I wanted this to be dark and musky, but it was light and calming instead. Once it dried completely though there was something spicy and biting in it, perhaps the clove? I feel as if there's no metal in this anymore though which is disappointing. My Reaction: The color of the imp was delightful in that it was reminiscent of actual blood (although a tad lighter in color). I was worried that something in my skin chemistry wasn’t working with BPAL scents since I kept getting such light and flowery results, but Blood eventually turns dark and spicy which is nice. I’m betting that the ‘cinnamon’ scent I’m picking up on is actually black cherries, and it’s darker than the cinnamon in Chimera I’m used to. While not something I need a bottle of, Blood was interesting despite being overly sweet. I’d prefer something more metallic, but perhaps in an hour or so it will change even more for me. Rating 1-5: 3

First Sniff: Tartness, which starts to give way to apples. Wet: Cinnamon bubblegum. What?!? The cinnamon is nice, light and not too sharp, but there’s an undercurrent of something sugary sweet which is not pleasant. Dry: As it dries it becomes saw-dusty and powdery light. There’s a faint whiff of fresh tart apples, but not much and I’m guessing it’s going to fade away into nothingness soon. Once it dried completely I was left with saw dust similar to my reaction to Miskatonic University (although that one was much stronger). Fresh apples slowly peak through the longer I have it on, however there’s still that underlying saw dust smell. My Reaction: I had hoped this would be a good autumn scent, with fresh apples, but it was very light and I did not enjoy the saw dust/powder it turned into. Upon re-reading the description I guess it’s the ‘sturdy oak’ which I’m not liking. I will of course re-test this, but it's not looking like a keeper. Rating 1-5: 1.5

I was actually in New Orleans about 2 weeks ago (sadly I forgot to post until now!). It is a wonderful city and I highly recommend visiting it if you can. That aside, I took Bayou with me on my visit and wore it there. And it smells dead on for the city and surrounding swamp lands. The light flower with a deep aquatic background is easy to match up with the hanging Spanish moss and damp atmosphere. It's definitely a humid scent and reminds me of warmer weather but is very pleasant overall. I was very excited to be wearing the city while I was there! But I have to say, Bayou smells just like the real thing. BPAL got this one spot on!

First Sniff: Soup, fresh and clean, but a bar of soap nonetheless. Wet: Soap, although I can catch a hint of the lime. The soap seems citrusier now. Dry: The lime becomes much more prominent on the dry down although it smells a bit like lemon to me. (I’m not sure on the scent difference between lemon and lime, they are similar citrus flavors after all.) Once it dried completely, the lime mellowed out a bit, but it’s still very much a citrus scent. There’s also something soft in this, the matcha perhaps? Once it dried completely, it was a nice overall scent; soft yet with that lime bite underneath. My Reaction: This was a frimp and I’m not sure what I was expecting with this one, although I did cheat and read the Wiki entry on Ehecatl the Aztec god so I was thinking light and flowery with some ozone for his wind association I suppose. It’s very different than any other scent I have from the lab and definitely reminds me of tropical drinks like margaritas. After about 15 minutes it faded but then seemed to come back, if softer, weird! Not something I need a bottle of, but it would be interesting to use this to be different than my usual scents occasionally. Rating 1-5: 2

First Sniff: A whiff of orange peel and honey. Wet: Flowery and feminine. As it starts to dry, I can smell the jasmine. Dry: As it dried it was very light and powdery on my skin. Once it dried completely I could smell light sandalwood coming through which makes it less flowery, but it’s still very girly and light. My Reaction: I was hoping that this arachnid would have some staying power and be a bit heavier than a light romp through spring gardens. But there wasn’t anything in this that makes me think ‘steampunk’ which is disappointing. Rating 1-5: 1.5

First Sniff: Faint new leather and perfume. Wet: Leather and a Middle Eastern herb, probably the frankincense. Dry: During the dry down this became perfumey with only a slight hint of leather leftover which was disappointing. However, once it dried completely it mellowed out a bit and I think I can smell the anise. Sadly, no lubricating oils though. My Reaction: I’ll probably hang onto this one simply because it’s Steampunk, but the overall scent wasn’t that pleasing to my nose. I didn’t get the metallic notes and the overly flowery perfume was not particularly pleasant. And why does it fade so quickly? Maybe I need to slather on lots to get any kind of lasting effect or throw? Rating 1-5: 2