alsatia

Expectations: Cherry cordials without the chocolate, and doughnuts without the cake. I sure hope to like it, as it's the only bottle I own so far and was purchased completely on impulse. In bottle: Cherry Kool-Aid. No cream or sugar yet. On skin, wet: Mmm. Still mostly cherry, but now it's real cherries instead of a powdered drink mix. I improvised an applicator by cutting the tip off a Q-tip, and a bit of oil got up into the center of it and led to me applying a smidge more than I'd intended. So I imagine this scent is going to be powerful. On skin, dry: So very sweet. The cherry is very strong, with just a hint of the cream and sugar. I can tell they're in there from the sweetness, but can't pick them out as individual notes. I hope that over time the cherry will fade just the tiniest bit and let the other notes have more of a presence. After time: After 30 minutes, I'm surrounded in a cloud of sweet, sweet cherries. The cream is stronger now, but sticks close to the skin. Conclusion: Yum, yum, yum! I was worried about this since a lot of my early BPAL purchases were based on complete cluelessness about what would actually work on me. But this one turned out to be a fabulous choice. I'll just need to be a wee bit more careful about the amount I apply, as I think the current scent cloud would knock over anyone in my path.

Expectations: Mmm, spicy with a hint of fruit. All of the notes are in the range of "like" to "love". I have a feeling it will need to be worn for quite a while before it blends well though. In vial: All the notes quickly make an appearance. Black cherry is, to my surprise, the first thing I smell, along with a bit of patchouli which makes it a little musky. Then the verbena pops up, followed by cardamom. I'm not all that familiar with cassis, so it didn't hit me as clearly as the others, but if I keep sniffing I can tell it's there. On skin, wet: Strongly cardamom with a side of patchouli. Verbena hides until I inhale deeply. There's a fruity undertone, but for now it's primarily spice. On skin, dry: The bastard love-child of cardamom and verbena. They're starting to blend, and it's just not as good as the two notes individually. I really hope the spiciness will back off a bit and let me have some of the fruit too. After time: Oooh! I think I smell some fruit again! It's been 20 minutes. *keeps waiting* 30 minutes now, almost entirely patchouli and cardamom. If I get up close, there's a slightly "off" scent that I think might be caused by the verbena interacting with another note. Conclusion: I'm kind of waffly about this. I know that means that, by my standards, I don't like it. But I want so much to like it! I think I'll hold onto the imp for a little while, until I can make another round through all the ones I kept.

Expectations: Fruit salad with an extra dash of sugar and a pinch of spice. Yummy! In vial: Whoa, bubblegum! I was blasted with the scent the instant I opened the imp, even though it was about 1' from my nose. On skin, wet: Still bubblegum from afar, but if I sniff closely I can pick out the sugar and the apple blossom on top of the other scents. On skin, dry: The bubblegum is still there, though it's now acquired so much spiciness that it doesn't seem like bubblegum from a casual sniff. There's a slight apple cider aspect to it. After time: After 30 minutes, it's still faintly spicy, but more of a mixed fruit than a bubblegum. Just as fabulous though. Not much throw, but what's there is of decent strength and I hardly applied any, so I think it will be just about perfect when applied in normal quantities. Only one problem...the smell is making me hungry! Conclusion: Fantastic. I love this one, and given the number of "it's nice, but I'm not in love" scents I've reviewed recently, it's a pleasant surprise. Most likely getting a bottle before the carnaval goes away.

Expectations: Probably not going to turn out too well. The sweeter florals tend to go all chemical on me. I want it to work though, as the individual notes are nice when not on my skin. In vial: Oh yeah, those are the flowers that don't like me. I suppose I'll be foolish to hope that they'll work just this once. But maybe the musk and vanilla can keep them in check. On skin, wet: Jasmine, violet, and leafy green scent. On skin, dry: Sweet flowers, a little bit chemical but not nearly as much as usual. I am, however, getting a hint of a headache and I don't know whether this scent is to blame. After time: I've only had this on for 5 minutes and it already feels like half an hour. The leafy scent comes and goes...right now it's pretty strong. Jasmine is the predominant scent though. Conclusion: I do like the scent, but I'm really desperate to wash it off and hope that my head stops hurting. If there's any chance this is giving me a headache, I can't wear it anyway as I live with someone who's highly sensitive to odors.

Expectations: I'm not sure. Florals don't usually work very well on me, but it really depends on the floral. I'm hoping that this might give me an idea of whether Hope & Faith could work. In vial: Just as the description says: sugar, incense, flowers. The flowers themselves are sweet too. Not too bad, but we'll see what happens when it interacts with my skin. On skin, wet: Slightly musky bubblegum being chewed in a garden. It's too floral for me at this point, but I think it might improve as it dries. On skin, dry: Ooh, yes. The floral is calming down a bit and blending nicely with the incense. It's still too floral if I smell it up close, but the small amount of throw is quite nice. After time: After 30 minutes this has turned into a gorgeous sweet floral incense. I think this is the first time a floral other than rose has turned out really nice on me. Conclusion: Yay for finding something girly that doesn't smell like crap when I wear it! I don't know that this will become a favorite, but I definitely will keep it around for occasional use. Also, definitely want to try Hope & Faith now, since their base flowers are ones that do normally smell okay on my skin.

Expectations: This is probably not for me. I don't hate any of the notes, but I also don't particularly like tea leaf, mint doesn't work well on me, and lemongrass, while I like it, tends to send the scent too far into the herbal range. In vial: Tea served by someone who doesn't particularly love tea and is trying unsuccessfully to mask the taste. I got the lemongrass right away, and the mint showed up soon after. Plus there's a faint sweetness. On skin, wet: I have no clue how, but this is doing that thing that reminds me of toilet paper holders. Tea is still the predominant scent, and the rest started blending together pretty quickly. On skin, dry: Tea. Lots of tea. Blech. The mint isn't as bad as I usually find it, but that may just be because there's something worse to cover it up. After time: 35 minutes have passed, and I see why other people like this. It's a very nicely blended tea scent, but as someone who does not drink tea it's just not the thing for me to wear. I never noticed any orange blossom, and the honey/sugar cane combination only added the slightest sweetness. Conclusion: I don't mind this, but if I kept it around I'd never put it on.

Expectations: High hopes for this one. I love fruits, and plumeria and gardenia are among the rare florals that I can tolerate. So as long as there's a definite Snake Oil base under this, it should be good. In vial: Delicious spicy apple cider. On skin, wet: Pretty much the same. I can tell there are other fruits there, but they can't be picked out individually. Not really getting the florals at all. On skin, dry: Yummy, yummy cider. It's a bit more fresh apple now. Reminds me of when my mom had friends who owned the local orchard. After time: 30 minutes later there's very little change. The scent is more blended, but that's about it. Conclusion: Delicious so far. Definitely keeping this snake around!

Snake Oil with red mandarin, myrrh, and almond. Expectations: This is hit-or-miss. I love Snake Oil and mandarin. My feelings toward myrrh are currently on the positive side of neutral. And I always think I should like almond, but it tends to be too bitter on me. In vial: Strong, musky spices with a layer of nutty sweetness. On skin, wet: Pretty much the same. Right now the individual notes are too distinct, but if all it does as it dries is blend better, I think I'll like this. On skin, dry: It's gone a bit dry and incense-like. Boo. It's not bad, exactly, but it was better when wet. It's not as sweet now either. After time: After 20 minutes, the scent has improved a bit. More blended, a tiny bit less dry. It's pretty faint though. At 30 minutes, it smells like Snake Oil plus some extra notes (finally!) Conclusion: I don't like it as much as the original, but could definitely wear this. I'd probably like it more if I just applied some and went about my day rather than trying to review it.

Expectations: Hahaha, florals. I'll bet my right eye that this doesn't work on me. In vial: Sickly sweet florals. Almost fruity. On skin, wet: The height of toilet paper holder scent, plus some mysterious citrus that shouldn't be there. On skin, dry: Less sweet, but more soapy. Amazing throw. After time: After 20 minutes, the smell isn't too bad unless I stick my nose right next to my arm, at which point the flowers seem slightly rancid, and I feel like I might sneeze. Ugh, another 5 minutes and it's gone back to toilet paper holder. Conclusion: I'm just not enjoying this. I really think it could be ok if I was getting any Snake Oil at all, but it's pure floral.

Expectations: Probably a bit too masculine for my tastes. I think I like leather, but in blends it doesn't work that well on me. And I hate sage. In vial: Really nice leather drizzled with spices. On skin, wet: Wow, the leather in this is amazing. I'm not sure how I feel about the spices though. There's an oddly floral scent to it. On skin, dry: The leather's a bit less sharp, and the spices have gone dusty. I'm not detecting the Snake Oil base yet. The leather reminds me of a memory, but I don't know what it is exactly, just that it makes me smile. The scent is a bit more masculine than what I'd normally choose to wear, but not too much so. After time: After 30 minutes, the leather has softened quite a bit. The spices are better with a casual sniff, but if I make an effort to smell my wrist there's a cool tingling in the back of my throat. Not a fan of that. Conclusion: I could probably wear this, but I think I'd like a purer leather scent more.

Expectations: Fruity Snake Oil with an extra burst of vanilla. In vial: Lots of neroli, with a hint of spice. Also a tiny bit of an unfamiliar fruitiness, which I guess must be the acai berry. On skin, wet: Leafy fruits. My opinion of this went downhill as soon as it hit my skin. On skin, dry: Dusty leaves, with a bit of watered-down fruit juice. I can't believe how little I care to continue this review. It's not even that bad, really, just kind of blah. After time: At 30 minutes, I've got a very leafy scent with only a touch of fruit. No Snake Oil, only the smoked part of the smoked vanilla, and possibly a little of the powderiness that I always get with amber. Conclusion: I know there's a chance that the Snake Oil will make an appearance if I wait longer, but if I don't like the first half hour of a scent then it's just not worth it. Plus, it would end up as Snake Oil plus this icky leaf scent, which I won't like anyway.

Expectations: Oooh, I hope this is as good as it sounds. I expect it will make the Snake Oil slightly more foody, but hopefully not too sweet. In vial: Exactly as I imagined it. Just like Snake Oil, with a hint of cocoa blended in nicely. On skin, wet: The same as in the vial, which might be because the oil is sitting on top of my skin and not even soaking in yet. On skin, dry: Pretty much the same. The cocoa has blended in a bit more, and I'm getting slightly stronger vanilla. After time: It's been 30 minutes, and while I can tell this is slightly different than Snake Oil, the difference is very subtle. The vanilla isn't quite the same, probably due to the rice milk mixing with it. And the cocoa is faint. Conclusion: I do like this, although I'm not sure if I'd choose it over the original. It's not that strong, for one thing.

Expectations: This is my most anticipated Snake Pit scent. I love dessert spices, and expect they'll go perfectly with the rich, subtly sweet Snake Oil. In vial: All spices, no Snake Oil. It's predominantly ginger. Delicious in itself, but I do hope the other notes make an appearance as it dries. On skin, wet: Ginger and cassia. On skin, dry: The cassia ran off, so now it's ginger and cinnamon. Still getting absolutely no Snake Oil. After time: After 30 minutes, I think I catch the faintest hint of the Indonesian oils, but the spices are so overpowering. I don't smell vanilla at all. It's a strong scent...I put on the tiniest drop possible and am still going to have to scrub it off before I can try something else, even on my other arm. Conclusion: I could wear this just for the spices, even if they continue to overwhelm the other notes. I'd really like the Snake Oil to make its presence known though. Maybe I'll have to keep this one around and let it age. Also, I tried this at the same time as Boomslang and occasionally got a whiff of it while trying to sniff the Boomslang patch on my arm. I think layering a tiny dab of this with a liberal application of Boomslang might be nice.

Expectations: Meh, probably won't like it. I don't care much for wood scents, and it's a rare musk that works on me. In vial: A little bit citrus, and some kind of furniture polish, maybe? It's a strange scent, and not one for which I can easily find a description. On skin, wet: Woods, but they're soft and pulpy and wet. On skin, dry: A slightly faded version of the wet scent, with a bit of lemongrass. After time: After 35 minutes, I'm noticing a bit of the Snake Oil. It blends pretty well with the additional notes, and I'm getting good throw. Conclusion: This is quite a bit better than I expected from the description. Not sure I like it enough to keep it, but I wouldn't have a problem wearing this again.

Snake Oil with vetiver, black coconut, vanilla, and opoponax. Expectations: Snake Oil already has vanilla, so additional vanilla makes me suspect (and hope!) that it's really strong in this blend. Coconut sounds nice, but the rest is a bit iffy. In vial: Oooh, yes, lots of vanilla. The other strong note is vetiver. On skin, wet: Mostly this smells like regular Snake Oil, but if I sniff too long I get burnt nuts on top of it. On skin, dry: Same as wet, only slightly less overpowering with the burnt nuts. Unfortunately, if I inhale deeply I can taste them. After time: After 35 minutes, this is a slightly smoky Snake Oil. It might also be a tiny bit sweeter than regular Snake Oil, but I'm not sure as I haven't worn it in a while. Conclusion: I do like this, but it's so similar to the original on me and I love the original, so I don't need both.

Snake Oil with sugar cane, frankincense, champaca, opoponax, labdanum, and hyssop. Expectations: A cacophonous mix of incense. It might blend beautifully, or it might give me a headache. In vial: Sharp herbs and incense. On skin, wet: Ew, unpleasantly herbal and something a little bit sweet. On skin, dry: Sweet incense. A little fruity. After time: 30 minutes later, the sweet fruity incense is the same. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I wish this scent was slightly more complex. The throw is fabulous though. Conclusion: Really plain incense. It's nice, but not something that's going to make me smile when I get a whiff of it on myself later in the day.

Expectations: This could go well, or could go very badly. I love Snake Oil. I love bergamot. I don't particularly like green tea, and mints usually are a disaster on me. The smell is sometimes ok, but they often make my skin unpleasantly tingly. In vial: Super minty, with a slightly musty tea smell. The mint is predominantly wintergreen, I think. On skin, wet: All mint. It's clearing my sinuses pretty well. On skin, dry: I got a phone call and missed the immediately dried state, but after 15 minutes it's still entirely mint. Now I smell more peppermint than anything else. After time: After 30 minutes, still mint. The only other note I ever smelled was the green tea, and it disappeared as soon as the oil hit my skin. Conclusion: I might have thought Snake Oil plus mint was nice, but there is not a trace of Snake Oil in this. The only bright side is that my skin isn't tingling. Apparently it might get better with aging, but I'm not sure if I want to bother with that.

Expectations: I don't know what orris and copal are, and I wasn't crazy about my last experience with frankincense. Maybe I should do some Googling before I try this. Ok, not excited by the descriptions on Wikipedia. Let's hope it's better than I imagine. In vial: Sweet floral. Must be the orris. I'm getting none of the original Snake Oil scent. On skin, wet: Orris and warm, soft incense. On skin, dry: Hmm, it now smells very much like Snake Oil with just a hint of other notes added. The orris is the strongest of the additional notes. After time: The scent keeps wavering between pure Snake Oil and a hint of Snake Oil topped with orris. It's been 35 minutes so far, and at the moment it's mostly orris. Conclusion: I think I do like this, but the floral aspect makes it very different from the rich warmth of Snake Oil. So that makes this one a little harder to decide on.

Expectations: The florals are questionable, and I have a feeling there will be too much opium and musk for my tastes. The foody aspects sound ok. In vial: Fresh lemon with a bit of flowers. On skin, wet: A huge flower garden with some lemon juice sprinkled on it. On the second sniff, a bit of musk and smoke was hanging around the edges. On skin, dry: This reminds me of a darker version of Titania. Like, what the bright spring scent of Titania would become in the fall, when everything's drying up and starting to die. In a nicer way than I'm describing it though! After time: About 10 minutes later, and it's getting warmer with the vanilla and coconut peeking through. They add a very subtle sweetness. After 25 minutes, there's something a bit sour in the scent. In some intermediate time before that, the smokiness increased and overwhelmed the pretty fruity florals. At 40 minutes, it's a pretty nice blend that's still dominated slightly by lemon. Conclusion: I like it, but I don't love it. I might want to give it a second try, but am pretty sure that it's not going in the pile for long-term use.

Expectations: I'm wary. I don't really care for chocolate to eat, so why would I want to smell like it? The only thing that makes me less hesitant is that it's dark chocolate, and thus might not be as sickly sweet as I fear. In vial: How odd. It actually smells like peanut butter cookies to me. I could live with that if it doesn't change on my skin! On skin, wet: Darn, definitely changed. It doesn't even smell foody, it's slightly burnt plastic. I think. I don't really know how to describe it, but I've heard people use that description for some scents and I think it's a close approximation. On skin, dry: Hmm. Sniffing my wrist makes me turn up my nose at this, but a second ago I got a faint whiff of something sweet while I was typing, and it wasn't too bad. After time: After 30 minutes, the scent when directly sniffing my wrist actually smells a bit like chocolate. That's progress. Conclusion: I imagine that, if applied for normal wear, this would give occasional wafts of a light, chocolate nature. I can see why people who like chocolate would want that, but it doesn't do anything special for me. I might like to try this in a scent locket (you know, if I owned one) and see if the initial peanut butter cookie scent stayed.

Expectations: I'm not sure what to expect, but I don't think I'm going to love it. Yay for vanilla, and musk is sometimes ok. Tea leaves? Yuck. In vial: Musky jasmine, and if I keep sniffing the tea leaves appear. I don't specifically smell the vanilla bean, but I think it's sweetening the other notes a little. On skin, wet: No, not for me. Dangerously close to the commercial perfumes, and jasmine is just a bad idea. It's tickling my nose a bit. On skin, dry: I don't even have words to describe this scent. That's not even intended badly, just that it's unlike anything I've smelled before. I'm starting to get a little of the vanilla bean, but it's predominantly jasmine and musk. Plus something I don't recognize, which I guess must be that white fougere. After time: After about 10 minutes, I'm getting a lot of tea leaves. This is not a great stage. After 20 minutes, it's blended together and I can't really describe it. It reminds me of commercial perfume again, but now it's like a quality version instead of smelling fake and chemical. Conclusion: It's not surprising from the notes, but this is a much more feminine scent than the name and story led me to expect. Theodosius is like the handsome guy you hit on in a bar and he's awkwardly trying to reject you when another handsome guy comes up and starts French kissing him. And then you go hide in embarrassment. Overall, this scent is actually nicer than I think my review has made it sound, but it's just not for me.

Expectations: Oh, this is so not for me. *tests anyway* In vial: First sniff is a forest of gorgeous cedar and pine. Then the musk and amber comes through. No obvious leather at this point. I actually really like this in the vial, but am wary of how it will react to my skin. On skin, wet: Uh...sweet and citrus? Where the heck did that come from? It's like musky orange blossoms. On skin, dry: The unexpected citrus faded a bit, but so did everything else. I can barely tell I applied this, even with my nose pressed against my arm. What I can smell is the slight powderiness I always get from amber. After time: Only about 15 minutes later, but I'm going to have to try this one again with a more liberal application. It's got the loveliest pine scent I've found so far, which is unexpected because BPAL pine notes usually are disgusting on me. Conclusion: I'm not sure I'll like it enough to buy more, but I definitely want to keep this around for another test or possible use as a room scent.

Expectations: Warm and smoky with just a hint of sweetness. In vial: Nutty and pine and slightly sarsaparilla. On skin, wet: Very nutty. The pine is still there but not at the forefront, and I get a tiny whiff of the smoke now. On skin, dry: The pine and nuts are more evenly blended now. There's smokiness but it doesn't smell specifically like tobacco smoke to me, and underneath it all there's a scent that keeps wavering between patchouli and sarsaparilla. After time: Suddenly, after about 15 minutes, all the distinct notes dropped away and it became a vague incense smell. Virtually no throw, and I never did get the milky aspect of the almond milk. Conclusion: Well, it's not making me gag, but I don't particularly like it either.

Expectations: Incense burning over a bed of woodchips and rose petals. I think it might be too much wood and not enough rose for my tastes. In vial: Strange. Kind of a waxy furniture polish, maybe. On skin, wet: Whoa, woody! *snickers like a 12-year-old boy* It reminds me of woodworking class in middle school. On skin, dry: Oops, got distracted and missed this step. I haven't noticed obvious changes since it started drying though. After time: I can tell there's cedar, but it's not as fresh as pure cedar. Not smelling any rose, which is a disappointment. Conclusion: I keep wavering between "that's a tolerable smell" and "ick, get this crap off me". When in doubt, ick.

Expectations: I love roses and cinnamon, and usually like rum. I might find the combination of notes a little unusual, but it doesn't sound bad. In vial: The first whiff is powdery floral, then the musk and cinnamon appear. No rum yet. On skin, wet: Very powdery. It reminds me of the body powder my grandma applied after her baths. On skin, dry: Mostly floral. I can tell there's supposed to be something else to the scent, but not enough to really smell the something else. It's reminding me of fake florals, and I'm thinking this might be from the rose geranium. After time: At 20 minutes, I finally caught a hint of cinnamon. I'm really not smelling much at all, and just now realized that, considering my sneeziness over the past couple of days, my sense of smell might be a bit impaired. At 30 minutes, it's getting a bit warmer like I'd have expected from the non-floral notes. Conclusion: While I'm sure I'd have a slightly different impression of this scent when my nose is in good working order, I can tell that it wouldn't make it onto the list of scents I love. It borders on being able to make me sneeze even if I wasn't already, and I think if I wore it around my mother she'd be way oversensitive to it.