alsatia

Expectations: Rose is among my favorite florals, but I'm not sure about the resins. I'd guess I'll at least feel neutral about this, if not like or love it. In vial: I seem to have inhaled a packet of rose-flavored Kool-Aid. I'm not sure how resins equal citric acid. On skin, wet: Smells even more strongly of citric acid. On skin, dry: There's still a faint hint of citric acid when I sniff this directly, but the throw is good without being overpowering, and it's a lovely soft powdery rose. After time: No change in the first half hour after drying. After 45 minutes, I'm not noticing the throw quite as much but it could be my nose is getting used to it. Conclusion: A very nice rose scent. I've smelled others that I liked more, but for now I'm going to hold onto this one.

Expectations: This could be fabulous. I love dragon's blood, so it depends on what "spice" is referring to. In vial: Warm, and sweetly spiced. On skin, wet: From a distance, I smell nothing but dragon's blood. It's quite strong. Up close, the spices come out. Maybe a hint of ginger and sweet cinnamon? On skin, dry: Wow. As this dries, it's starting to smell quite like Three Witches. Not identical, but there's enough similarity that I could learn to love this one as much. After time: At 30 minutes, I figured out that this smells like Three Witches layered with the good stages of Blood. It's fairly strong, and the throw is good even with the application spot being a less-than-ideal one. Conclusion: I'm in love! I'll probably keep looking for similar scents to test before settling on this one, but Serpent's Kiss stands a good chance of going in the bottle section of my wishlist.

Expectations: I don't think I'll be able to give an accurate review of this scent, as all I've got is a pipette sniffie. It doesn't sound like something I'll like much, though. Many of the notes are unfamiliar, but amber usually doesn't work well on me, I'm not into leaves, and the last chrysanthemum scent I tried made me sneeze. In pipette: The pipette was stored in a plastic zipper bag, and upon opening the bag it smelled like ass. Well, not literally ass, but really gross. The other pipette sniffie packaged the same way smells the same, and I've tried that scent before, so I'm sure it's the plastic causing that. Okay, taking the pipette out and sniffing it...and the smell got worse. On skin, wet: Even if there was a big enough drop of oil to apply, I would not do it. I'll look up all the unfamiliar notes to see if I can figure out why this smells so bad. On skin, dry: Not applicable. After time: Not applicable. Conclusion: Ok, I think the culprit is oud, also known as agarwood. Everything else I looked up sounds, if not pleasant, then icky in a different way. This is my first experience of gagging upon smelling a BPAL scent, and since it's not even a testable quantity it's going in the trash.

Expectations: Well, that description doesn't say much about what the actual scent is. So I'm guessing at dry and herbal, and probably not something I'll care much for. In vial: Herbal, but not so dry. It reminds me a little of rosemary. On skin, wet: Pizza spices sprinkled over Vicks Vaporub. On skin, dry: It's not dry yet, but I must have gotten some on my fingers and then they got near my eye. Oww, that burns. I didn't even actually touch it, I don't think, but my eyes are so sensitive. Must be super careful while finishing the review. Now that it's dry, I smell like I'm buried under a brush pile at the edge of a forest. Not a pine forest though, as some reviews would have led me to suspect. After time: After 35 minutes, I'm still under the brush pile but the scent is a bit less overwhelming. Conclusion: This isn't an offensive scent by any means, but I would neither want to smell it on myself all day nor have people around me realize I was the source of that smell. Add in the fact that my eyes seem super-sensitive to it, and I think I'll be passing this one along.

Expectations: This could go well or very very badly. Musks are questionable on me, although white tends to do better, and I'm not crazy about mossy scents. Sandalwood, orange blossom, and rose geranium are all okay. Jasmine's usually ok, but not necessarily a preferred scent. Ambergris? Ew. Mints sometimes smell ok but often feel unpleasant on my skin, and I have bad associations with rosemary although the smell isn't always offensive to me. So basically I don't expect to love this but it might not be terrible. In vial: Musky floral. A very traditional cologne smell. I can't really pick out specific notes at this point. On skin, wet: *wrinkles nose* This is probably not too bad for normal wear, but trying to identify individual notes is unpleasant. I think the jasmine and rose geranium are pretty strong now. Despite the florals, it's a very masculine smell to me. On skin, dry: Still masculine. Reminds me of my grandfather for some reason. After time: The scent was staying pretty much the same and suddenly at 30 minutes everything went away except a huge whiff of orange blossom. So much for the masculine smell. Now it reminds me of some child's body spray. After another 30 minutes, the scent is very faint but still predominantly orange. Conclusion: Once this changes to orange, it smells pretty good on me. It fades so fast though, and reapplying would force me to go through the icky men's cologne stage repeatedly. I might keep it around for a while and try it again later.

Expectations: I imagine this smelling like someone set an entire incense shop on fire. In vial: Somewhat similar to Snake Oil, only spicier. Not a bad start. On skin, wet: Oh man, it hates my skin. Or my skin hates it. Instant powderiness and an indescribable sharp smell. On skin, dry: Still extremely powdery, and it's got a bit of citrus to it now. Must be the bergamot. *Googles* Erm, and the neroli as well. Learn something new every day. After time: Spicy oranges and sandalwood. Plus the powder of doom. Conclusion: This could be so nice if not for the amber. It's probably going in the swap/sell pile, but I'll keep sniffing it occasionally and see if I change my mind.

Expectations: This might not be too bad, so long as the musk is light and the pine isn't too strong. In vial: On first sniff, it was soft and musky. Then some light fresh pine and juniper drifted in. On skin, wet: Whoa, way too much pine. It's not just a cleanser, it also nearly made me sneeze. On skin, dry: The pine is calming down a bit. It's still too strong, but if it fades a little more soon then this won't be a bad scent. After time: After 20 minutes, the pine is still a smidge too strong if I sniff my wrist directly, but the scent wafting around me is gorgeous. The soft musk from the wet oil is back, and it's enhanced by just the right amount of pine and juniper. Conclusion: Not my perfect pine blend (I'm picky about pine), but it's nice enough that I'll keep it around until I find one I like more. [Edited to fix formatting error.]

Expectations: I dislike every one of the notes in this. *sniffs warily* In vial: Crumbled leaves and licorice. On skin, wet: Mostly leafy, and the licorice keeps veering toward a chocolate scent. On skin, dry: Musky leaves. Licorice. Bleh. After time: It hasn't morphed since I applied it half an hour ago, which is one of the few positive aspects of this scent. Conclusion: Are there seriously people who choose to smell like this?

Expectations: I always assume that anything with a description of its purpose rather than its scent is going to be disgusting. In vial: Nutty, citrus, and herbal. So far I was right about the disgusting. On skin, wet: Some kind of household cleanser gone rancid. On skin, dry: Not quite as rancid, but still pretty bad. Pine and some kind of nuts. After time: After 15 minutes, it turned into really nasty herbal soap...and this was an improvement. Edit: 5 minutes after posting this, the scent suddenly turned to almost pure rose. There's still a hint of something icky, but it's not nearly as bad. However, the earlier stages were so offensive to my nose that I would never be willing to go through that again. Conclusion: Get this crap away from me, fast!

Expectations: Napping under a Christmas tree decorated with flower petals. In vial: Soft, light florals. The pine isn't as overwhelming and sharp as I feared. On skin, wet: Instant morphing into amber and pine. Mostly amber. On skin, dry: Mostly amber, starting to go a tiny bit powdery. I detect a hint of the lotus now, which is slightly pine-tinged. I've yet to smell any opium in this. Whoa, and I sniffed from a different angle and got a whiff of rose. After time: I'm not sure exactly how long it's been, since my browser crashed and I lost the time that this review was started (but not the review itself). I'd estimate about 45 minutes though. At this point, I'm getting a very faint scent, kind of wet and green. The lotus seems to be dominating. Conclusion: This is better than I thought it would be, but isn't quite my kind of scent. The warmth of the opium and amber contrast the cool wetness of the lotus and rose, and I'm rarely a fan of such contrasts.

Expectations: Another set of rich, musky fruits with a bit of extra sweetness. In vial: No fruit or vanilla. Very green and leafy, with an undertone of musk and patchouli. On skin, wet: The leafiness is turning spicy, and overall it smells vaguely similar to Snake Oil only not as nice. On skin, dry: Lost the sweetness and it's back to being leafy with a hint of musk. After time: 35 minutes later, it's still slightly leafy, with patchouli being the predominant scent. Conclusion: Meh, not that great. I was hoping more for plum and pomegranate.

Expectations: Rich musky fruits. In vial: Spicy fig on a bed of flowers. On skin, wet: Oh, ew. Musky and way too much lavender. This is the worst case of toilet paper roll holder I've ever experienced. On skin, dry: I get it now. It's lavender and verbena combined that causes problems for me. That's all I'm smelling in this. After time: After 15 minutes the verbena and lavender are calming down a bit and blending with the rest of the notes. It's actually close to a lighter version of how it smelled in the vial. Not bad from a distance. After 30 minutes, I'm having trouble smelling anything at all. Conclusion: This would require heavy application, and with the ickiness of the initial stages that would be very unpleasant.

Expectations: This sounds like a good way to ruin some lovely Snake Oil. I imagine it dirty and musty, with a bit of saltwater trying and failing to counteract the dryness. In vial: Leaves and sweat. I'm guessing the sweat comes from the slight muskiness I detected in the original Snake Oil, but otherwise there is nothing Snake Oil about this. On skin, wet: A bonfire on the beach. I'm getting dry leaves and grass that are about to be ignited, and the occasional waft of saltwater. On skin, dry: Oddly, when the oil is dry the scent is less dry. I'm getting a bit more of the mustiness I expected. After time: It's only been 20 minutes, but I haven't got a lot of patience with scents I don't like. If I sniff really hard I smell something that might be the tiniest bit of the Indonesian oils aspect of Snake Oil, but I also could be imagining it because I'm so desperate for it to be there. Conclusion: The idea of the Snake Pit, I thought, was to add ingredients that enhance Snake Oil. Not make a scent that is absolutely nothing like Snake Oil! And that's how this one turns out on me. It's pretty gross.

Expectations: I really didn't know what to think of this based on the description. I actually wasn't drawn to it (vague descriptions tend to not attract my attention), but then I snagged a set of Snake Pit decants and decided it would be wise to try the original first. This is a fairly fresh imp—it was decanted by someone who doesn't like her Snake Oil aged and can't use up a bottle fast enough. The label says it was decanted in February. In vial: Spicy and a little bit musky. I don't really notice the vanilla yet. On skin, wet: Very similar to in the vial, with a hint of sweetness which is still not distinctly vanilla. On skin, dry: I keep waffling between finding this spicy and finding it sweet. When it's sweet, the vanilla starts to be noticeable now. After time: After half an hour, the vanilla is much stronger and the base underneath it isn't exactly spicy anymore. I'm reminded a little of maple syrup, although it doesn't actually smell like that. Conclusion: Wow, this is gorgeous. (And I'm cheating a bit, as I've worn it before testing for a review.) There's a good chance of either Snake Oil or one of its Snake Pit variations becoming my scent for daily wear.

Expectations: I'm hoping to like this, but a lot of the fruit and floral combinations that I've tried haven't worked too well on me. In vial: I think I can pick out sweet pea and pear, but for the most part this just blends nicely. On skin, wet: Boo, it's the toilet paper holder scent. Tickles my nose a little, and is lightly sweet, but a bit chemical. On skin, dry: Oooh, glad I tolerated the wet stage. This is a very light, sweet scent that's just feminine enough for not-very-feminine me. It's very well-blended, and has just a tiny bit of throw. After time: 40 minutes later, no noticeable change. Slightly more fruity than floral. Conclusion: This is exactly the kind of scent that I look for in lotions. Pleasant and light enough that a stronger perfume can be used over it.

Expectations: Boozy booze, with a squirt of booze syrup and a dollop of booze on top. In vial: Butterscotch LifeSavers. Yummy childhood flashback. On skin, wet: Whoa, I just spilled half a bottle of rum on my wrist. The butteriness instantly faded to the background, and there's the slightest hint of cherry. On skin, dry: The butteriness is returning and balancing the scent out. It's not as delicious as it was in the vial, but at this point it's definitely wearable. I'm getting virtually no throw, which is probably good...less likely that anyone will suspect I'm drunk! After time: 30 minutes and it's faded more. Not nearly as nice smelling as it was before I applied it. Conclusion: Sadly, this doesn't seem to work that well on my skin. I love pirates and rum is my drink of choice though, so I'm definitely holding onto this for possible alternate uses.

Expectations: This could be awkward to review, as I've worn it several times already. My original expectation was sweet apple being eaten in a room full of incense smoke. In vial: Ripe, juicy apple. On skin, wet: Much more tart than in the vial, and there's a leafy undertone. On skin, dry: What? Why am I getting that floral that reminds me of toilet paper roll holders? I've worn this half a dozen times and gotten nothing but a delicious apple cider scent out of it. I do get that now, if I just let the oil be and don't try too hard to analyze it, which may be an argument against doing these reviews. After time: 15 minutes and it's turning into the apple cider, yay! In that case, I think it's safe to assume that it will act the same as when I've worn it previously, which means I'll have a light cider scent wafting around me, and it will be strong enough to satisfy my nose for at least 2 or 3 hours. Conclusion: I love this scent. It's a better cider scent than the ones I've tried which actually attempt to smell like cider.

Expectations: Crisp and wet, not particularly strong. Hopefully the lemon won't be too sour. In vial: An aloe plant that has been watered with diluted lemon juice. On skin, wet: Whoa, lemon! We're veering into Pledge territory. On skin, dry: Oh, ick. The lemon calmed down a little, but it's now musky tea and it's reminding me of something unpleasant that I can't quite remember. After time: 35 minutes later, my wrist smells faintly like dish soap, as though I dribbled some on me and didn't get it thoroughly rinsed off. Conclusion: I wasn't crazy about the scent even when it was strong, and given that I slathered it on and it's almost completely disappeared in under an hour, I don't think I care for this one.

Not quite Turtle Soup: blurry aquatic notes, with a confusing, contrary splort of iris, ambrette, green apple, vodka, white mint and a squish of lime. Expectations: Well, I'd been looking for a lime & mint. Green apple and vodka sound fine. I'm a bit uncertain about the rest of the combination. In vial: Light and juicy. Can't identify individual notes, but why the heck is this one a tiny bit powdery? On skin, wet: Oh right, aquatic notes suck. This is the same problem I had with Obatala...a potentially beautiful scent, if it hadn't been so diluted. On skin, dry: Faintly musky. So faint that I have to practically inhale my arm to figure out what I'm smelling. After time: After 15 minutes, I'm finally getting a little bit of the mint, but it's mint/musk/vodka with none of the juicy sweet fruits. Another 5 minutes and it's very powdery musk. Conclusion: Big thumbs down. Can I have a mock Mock Turtle, without the aquatics, iris, or ambrette?

Expectations: A garden with flowers planted at the foot of the trees. In vial: Light floral, very commercial. I only get a hint of wood. On skin, wet: Major sneeze potential, which I think is from the lilac. More woody on me than in the vial. On skin, dry: Back to being mostly floral. Very faint, but still sneezeworthy. After time: I'm not going to bother with following the progress of this one. Florals are just not for me. Conclusion: Dear self, don't buy florals. You don't like them.

Expectations: Fresh and clean, maybe a bit too strong. In vial: Pine, with a tiny bit of sweetness. On skin, wet: Cat pee? Ew. On skin, dry: Heavy on the orange, with pine in the background. I don't really smell eucalyptus, but I imagine it blending so well with the other notes that I might not identify it. After time: Mostly pine now, with a hint of orange. I applied this very lightly, but have a feeling it would remind me negatively of PineSol if I put on more. Conclusion: This is a really nice blend. Not something I'd wear as perfume, but it would make a great room scent or I might use it as one of my bedtime scents.

Expectations: Almost too sweet and rich, like a box of assorted chocolates without their chocolate coating. In vial: Boozy and sweet, with a sharp tone that is probably from the almond, but initially registered as cherry. On skin, wet: All of the above, with added spiciness and an unfortunate hint of smoke. On skin, dry: From afar, it's lightly sweet and creamy. If my nose goes anywhere near my wrist though, it's all bitter smokiness which is absolutely disgusting. After time: 25 minutes and it's sticking with the bitter, musty grossness. Conclusion: This is such a disappointment. It wouldn't be a wicked bite without the aspects I'm hating, but I failed to imagine how that delicious combinations of notes could turn so vile.

Expectations: Cautiously (and probably foolishly) optimistic. I liked the sound of this when I ordered, before having tried much of anything and learning what does and doesn't work on me. Now I have negative associations for nearly every note. But they sound like they really work together, so I'm hoping that fact and the fact that I really want a perfume named Shattered will make me like this one. In vial: I can't find the right words for this, but it's cool and crisp. After much sniffing, I pick out the grapefruit note and eventually the mint. On skin, wet: It's doing grapefruit's typical Pledge dance, but only slightly. There's an increasing coolness and a tiny bit of mustiness from the champagne. I think there's a good chance I'll keep this imp around. On skin, dry: Very effective at clearing my nose. It smells vaguely like lemongrass. The throw is decent...not a powerful scent at a distance, but I can tell it's there. After time: Pretty faint after not much time, but I'd attribute at least half of that to the amount and location of application. It's not doing any of the horrible things that I'd expect these notes to do. Conclusion: Quite nice overall. I'm keeping it for occasional use (I can imagine it working well for me in some of the situations TAL oils were designed for), but probably not interested in regular wear. I'd prefer if the grapefruit were replaced with lime.

Expectations: Sounds a little more complicated than I tend to like, but assuming none of the notes react bizarrely with my skin it should be pretty. In vial: A whole lot of gardenia, with a touch of everything else blended together in the background. On skin, wet: Still strongly gardenia, but something else is coming to the front to join it, and I'm not entirely sure what it is. Maybe orris or ylang ylang. Unfortunately, I think this is going to start making me sneeze. On skin, dry: Yuck, it smells like dirt. As though someone yanked all the flower plants out of the ground and I'm sniffing the area around the roots, with just a hint of the flowers themselves making it to my nose. After time: After 20 minutes, the gardenia is conquering the dirt a little, but it's still dirty and still gross and still probably going to make me sneeze if I sniff it much more. Edit: In the 5 minutes during which I got distracted before posting this to the forum, the dirtiness faded a bit. It's still a bit dirty, but now it's also a little soapy, as if it's trying to wash itself off and not entirely succeeding. Ugh. Conclusion: Must get this one away from me! And it sounded so pretty from the description.

Expectations: Oof. This sounded interesting when I ordered it, but now that I've actually tried a variety of BPAL I have a bad, bad feeling about this. First there's the grapefruit that tends to go all Lemon Pledge on me, then lavender which usually reminds me of toilet paper holders, and peppermint which tends to tingle my skin in an unpleasant way. Plus, what the heck is zdravetz? In vial: Minty citrus. Not too bad. On skin, wet: I spoke too soon. Ew, I'm getting both the grapefruit and lavender problems (lavender more strongly so). I think the amount of peppermint in this is small enough to avoid the tingling though. On skin, dry: After 5 minutes the grapefruit took over, but in another 5 it stepped aside for minty lime. If this continues to morph so much, it will be an excellent representation of that poor cat. After time: It's only been about 15 minutes, so I don't know about long-term strength, but at this point there's great throw. I had my cheek resting on the hand that's near where I applied Midway, and smelled only Schrodinger's Cat. And 2 minutes later, there's less throw, and the scent is about half-fruity, half-floral. After only 20 minutes, the scent has faded considerably, and while still slightly sweet it's getting a more floral/mossy base. Conclusion: I'm glad I tried this if only to learn that I was right about how fabulous lime and mint are together. As for Schrodinger's Cat itself, it hasn't smelled particularly bad other than that initial Pledge/toilet paper holder stage, but I really don't care much for scents that morph considerably. Good thing I already know where this one is headed now that I've rejected it.