tinyvulture

my husband tried this imp out first, and on him it was pure tobacco. i have to say i like it better on me. i love this tobacco note and it seems to be blended with…caramel? buttery, salty, sweet caramel! looking at the description, i have no idea what could be creating that smell, but i am in love with it! the frankincense and sandalwood hang out in the background, i smell no black pepper at all, and i’m not totally sure what redwood smells like but there’s nothing especially woodsy about this blend. just tobacco and foody caramel. i think this one’s worth the higher price for the 5ml.

on first application, all i get is extremely strong citrus, from the orange blossom i suppose. after a couple of minutes the earthy vetiver comes forth and forms an odd combination with the citrus. but then the orange blossom loses its overpowering sour tang and sweetens up quite a bit. the dark vetiver remains, but now the soft myrrh and the unmistakable scent of mahogany are also present. it's still a chaotic jumble of notes, but interesting and unique. i'm just not sure if i can get past the bold citrus.

on my skin, the strongest notes are the resinous myrrh and frankincense, the warm red musk, and the woodsy cypress. i love woodsy and incense blends, so i’m glad to have this imp. i can’t really smell the honey or saffron or cardamom, but i think that’s just because this is so well-blended that you get more of an overall effect rather than really strong individual notes. the downside is that it’s not very strong. i’ll leave it to age awhile longer and see if it develops a bit more throw.

as i open the imp, honey practically drifts out of it towards my nose. it’s such a strong honey scent, i love it! there’s also something that kinda smells like root beer, and a powdery, spicy floral. i think it’s ylang-ylang, because Osun reminds me of La Petit Mort and i know that has ylang-ylang in it. but Osun is lacking the skin musk that makes La Petit Mort so sexy. so i think of this as LPM’s flirty, playful little sister. it’s really gorgeous and has great throw.

i love bpal’s pine blends. so, for the sake of comparison, if black forest is “musky pine” and jersey devil is “berry pine”, then this one is “cologne pine”. it has a definite men’s cologne aspect. that often turns me off, but let me say in this case, it’s the best men’s cologne ever. the pine is strong and clean and a little bit soapy. it’s like what a really hot lumberjack should wear. need a bottle for the husband.

a refreshing green herbal scent. it's masculine, but the clean wood and slightly sweet herbs are softened by creamy shea butter. the sweetness was a bit much at first but it faded after a few minutes and the woodsiness came out more. this is probably my favorite herbal blend thanks to the shea, a favorite note of mine.

i believe the benzoin is what i’m smelling when i first apply this – a piney, sweet resin. i’d have to sniff a benzoin single note to be sure. but regardless of what it is, it’s really lovely. the sexy warm red musk and gorgeous, rich honey (favorite notes of mine) compliment the benzoin beautifully. i don’t smell any caramel, and i’m not sure if i’m getting any “unguents” or not. it’s an exotic, complex, resinous blend. it’s not really masculine or feminine. it’s just wonderful.

coconut and incense! i think i’m in love! the incense is very similar to that of Midnight Mass and All Souls – sweet and with a slight “banana” note that no one else has mentioned, so maybe it’s just my weird chemistry. the coconut here reminds me of Black Pearl or Blood Pearl. i’d say it’s kind of dry, compared to the “fresh coconut” note in, say, Obatala. the sandalwood and orris add more dryness. stays strong for hours. i’m glad this is GC because i see a bottle in my future.

astringent ginger and spicy cinnamon take center stage in this blend. if you like the strong spice of Three Witches, i’d recommend this for sure. the sweet vanilla and resins of traditional snake oil add warmth and balance. i don’t think i need a bottle of this, but it’s really nice. try layering it with something creamy for a lovely chai scent.

Sleek, dark, and ominous. Violet and neroli mingled with iris, white sandalwood and dark musk. The violet and dark musk are an interesting combination here. I’d say the dark musk is very dark…it adds an almost ominous note to this otherwise unassuming floral. Also, I keep thinking I smell coffee beans…not sure what that is. I can’t smell the neroli or sandalwood, and I’m not familiar with the scent of iris. If you’re a big violet fan, this one’s for you. I’m not so much, so it’s off to swaps.

I have a love-hate relationship with jasmine and ylang-ylang. Sometimes they love me and smell spicy and sexy. Sometimes they hate me, and smell like old lady soap. Sadly, in Pannychis, they are both really pissed off at me, and they are ganging up to make me sneeze and sneeze. I do like the black currant, though. The flowers are so strong on my skin that I can’t really detect any other notes. But the currant stands its ground and provides an excellent, dark sweetness. It adds depth, and because of that, I think this would be a really lovely floral on those whom jasmine and ylang-ylang are better friends with.

Obatala is simply the best coconut scent ever! It’s the scent accompaniment to a perfect dream vacation in the tropics. I wish I had all kinds of soaps and lotions that smelled like this, to slather on my skin. I don’t know why, but BPAL’s coconut notes often go all plastic-y and gross on me, especially the black coconut. But this here coconut meat, why, it’s a whole different story Pure coconut essence, white and clean. And creamy, comforting shea butter, which I adored in Chaste Moon and am falling in love with all over again here. As for the water, I feared a heavy aquatic note, but I’m not getting that. It just has an overall clean and refreshing feeling. This one’s going on my 5ml list!

I wasn't sure if this scent would be right for me...but because of all the anticipation for it on the forum, I went ahead and ordered a bottle. I’m so glad I did! I’m thrilled with the lab’s ability to constantly, pleasantly surprise my nose Pink Moon is carnations and sugar. I’m not sure what phlox smells like so I can’t say to what extent it is present. Carnation is actually one of my favorite flowers. I love its subtle spiciness. Like the carnation itself, Pink Moon is floral without being "old lady", and sweet without being silly. A lovely, clean springtime perfume. Now I'm extremely curious to try those other “sugared” florals, Hope and Faith, which I also previously believed weren't right for me! This may be my very favorite lunacy.

a sweet, soft, creamy floral. the strongest notes on my skin are: rose otto, vanilla, amber. the jasmine adds a touch of spice, and i can’t smell the lavender at all. it’s really a lovely, subdued, feminine scent. a good floral for those who typically don’t enjoy florals, but love amber.

sweet, dry, dusty. like an aged bottle of women’s perfume from some unknown era that has been buried for centuries. there’s a powdery incense element to it as well. i was expecting some stone or metallic elements, but there’s none of that. it’s not a strong scent, but a pretty one.

a mix of several different wildflowers, interspersed with soft green herbal notes. and the woods – i’m not familiar with the individual notes like maple and birch, so i’ll just say that whatever woods i’m smelling seem very soft and powdery, like when you smell sandalwood incense…only this isn’t sandalwood. that might not make much sense, but really, the woods in this are soft and comforting and serve to tone down the bright florals. i’m not really a floral girl, so the woods saved this one for me. it just makes me think of being outdoors, walking through a park in the springtime.

i would guess that this contains jasmine, cinnamon, a touch of dragon’s blood, and hyssop maybe? there’s something “root beer” about it. it’s a strong scent. it’s sweet but not in a cloying way – in a warm, cheerful way, actually. just smelling it seems to elevate my mood.

i can smell the wine and leather at first. the wine’s fruitiness fades as it dries. i could swear there’s patchouli in this, but it’s not listed in the notes. the burnt grasses and mossy galbanum make this scent very dark and earthy. i’m not sure what ebony and teak smell like. overall this makes me think of charred earth. but the sweet wine note keeps it from getting too bleak. a complex, masculine scent.

jasmine, enveloped in something sweet and powdery -- kind of like marshmallows! one of the best jasmine blends i’ve tried – really heavenly.

the vanilla, musk, and powdery amber are a lovely trio. combined with the lily, they create a very soft, creamy floral. there’s a hint of dry orris as well. it’s a light, feminine scent. as soon as i apply it, it seems on the verge of fading away. i'd say it's a more delicate version of jacob’s ladder, because of the amber. the only problem is that it’s not very strong. i’d like it to have more throw.

Used to open up options in your life, overcome obstacles, and create opportunities. This blend increases your potential for success, inspires creativity and quick thinking, and helps you to be more flexible, adaptable and open to change. fresh out of the imp, this smells like lifesavers or some other fruity candy. sweet berries and citrus. as it dries, it turns into a potpourri scent – a pleasant one. i can’t speak to its effectiveness at overcoming obstacles. but, it does make me feel a bit more energized and okay with going out tonight, when i had been thinking about turning in early.

i think this contains dragon’s blood, judging by its rich red color, and also jasmine. and some soft powdery note that i can’t identify. maybe myrrh? i’m starting to like dragon’s blood better, but i really can’t say this blend makes me feel especially sexy. i think it’s too feminine for my taste. still, i’ll go ahead and wear it tonight and see if my husband takes notice

an after-dinner mint, buttery and mild. the peppermint and vanilla balance each other perfectly. the sharp mint gives some “oomph” to the soft vanilla, which in turn mellows out the mint. i love it, and it loves my skin chemistry. this is a perfect “winter-but-not-christmas” scent.

first off, i think i smell saffron with a hint of cinnamon. there’s something creamy, too. it reminds me a lot of bengal or morocco – spicier, though, with stronger throw (not as strong as three witches, though!) the perfect level of spice, i’d say. after it dries, it takes on kind of a “cinnamon candle” or “cinnamon potpourri” smell. it’s ever-so-slightly soapy. i still really enjoy it.

fruity red wine is most noticeable. it’s a bit of a cough syrup scent at first, but as it dries, it mellows and the other notes come forward. the sweet berries and herbal thyme are a nice contrast. not too sweet and not too sharp. well-balanced. and there’s something sexy about it without being a super-girly or over-the-top “take me now!” kind of scent. a restrained sexy