oravannahka

Soft, sweet, and chock-full of vanilla. I was really worried about the coconut (which I despise), but my skin seems to have sucked up all the coconut and left nothing but vanilla and a few florals. It's really innocent and gentle. Nothing I'd wear on a date, but definitely for an everyday scent. It stays close to my skin but doesn't fade. Perfect not just for the winter, but spring and summer as well (not really getting a fall feel from this though). A keeper for sure!

This is like aged Snake Oil on me (that's a good thing!) or even better. Everything that SO seems to give me trouble with has gone away and I'm left with an awesomely slinky scent. The vanilla is my favorite note, as it is neither plasticky nor non-existent. The amber manages not to go rank on me through some miracle. Probably my favorite scent so far. This is the best/strongest reaction the boy has had as well. Usually he either doesn't realize I'm wearing perfume (I have to infer his feelings through other means) or thinks they're weird. But he actually commented that this one was "really good." (yeah, that's a winner, believe it or not.)

This smells like Big Red chewing gum on me, from beginning to end. I'm going to have to pass this one along. I had such high hopes as everyone else seems to be having much better luck.

2008 version! Bottle: Sweet like caramel, with a highly sugary, warm buttery smell. Wet: a smidge of... nutty spice? A little less sweet. Otherwise, the same as in the bottle. Dry: straight up sugar cookie. I recognize that's probably not helpful given as that is already the name of the scent, but that really is the best way to describe it. There's a bit more spice, a hint of brown sugar, and a little less sweetness and butter but otherwise it's much the same as in the bottle. Other notes: I've been looking for a bpal foodie scent for quite a while and this is it. It's got very good throw on me. Yes it is very sweet, but I am personally a fan of the sugary scents. It makes me want to eat myself! (and the boy is having similarly nice reactions to it)

Bottle: Super aquatic jasmine. Wet on skin: Straight up jasmine, which always smells kind of soap-y on me. I keep sniffing a bit of the salty aquatic bits which I'm desperately hoping will come out more and temper the soapy jasmine. Very fresh, probably better for the summer than right now. Dry on skin: Aquatics keep disappearing. Soap. Other Notes: Will have to wait until my nose is less of a wild card but for now this is going in the swaps pile for someone with better skin chemistry. My skin just keeps pumping up jasmine and turning it into soap.

First foray into the world of Ars Draconis. I figured it would be best to start with the basics. My nose is a little stuffy so I'll probably re-review this one later. I just needed something to wear. In imp: a complex, cinnamon flower. Wet: A little "old lady" and quite traditional but otherwise lovely. Cinnamon is attempting to rally and save the situation but is not quite doing it. Dry: Sweet but... kind of soapy. Not feeling this one. Notes: Not sure if it's because of my nose or my chemistry or what but this is a powder room, old lady scent on me. I suspect I would prefer this if it were mixed with something else. I shall try my luck with the other dragons!

Just thought I'd add a word of warning about putting BPAL in metal containers and flying... I flew from San Diego and was worried about how to transport my BPAL. I considered putting them in a metal container and considered just slipping them in with my liquids bag (which was humongous). I decided to bank on them not noticing it among the plethora of other liquids and it's a good thing I did! On my way back, I'd purchased some tea which was in a metal air-tight container. Security stopped me and I was convinced my BPAL was doomed. But, no, they just wanted to check my tea container. They let me keep the tea after some sniffing, but I can only shudder at the fate of my BPAL had I stored it in a similar way.

The predominant note for me is the honeysuckle. Everything else is blended beautifully. I was a little worried about the orchid, but that was clearly a foolish notion. I can, in fact, smell the orchid, but it is gorgeous and doesn't do all the horrible things it usually does on my skin. This is a chilly scent, and, as such, it seems kind of fragile and faint as well. It's really not that strong, but it lasts! I lovelovelove this and have to resist the urge to dance around the house spraying it everywhere. Especially in the hot summers, this spray presents a soothing, beautiful scent that cools me down (and I never, ever thought that a scent could change my body's temperature!). ... now to see if there's any way I can sneak this past airport security so that I can have this gorgeous scent with me for my holiday!

Mine is definitely not pale yellow. It's pretty orange. I got it over a year ago (I believe it was the same color when I got it first though). When did you get each imp?

Wet: jasmine and white musk. Kind of soapy, very subdued. Dry: more florals. Where is the plum? 10 minutes later: a little bit of plum, if I really sniff for it. Perfume's really subdued still. 20 minutes later: okay, what I thought was the plum has turned into the faintest hint of bubblegum. What? Overall, there's this strange undercurrent of saltiness. I don't really understand it (perhaps my skin chemistry). Kitsune-Tsuki is nice and all, but it's simply too soft and too much of a generic floral for me. Plus, the strange bubblegum hint is odd. Not bad, but odd. Nevertheless, I'll try this again before I make any final decisions; my chemistry is probably just being funky.

Tried this twice; was sorely disappointed both times. I was expecting good, sexy fun, but no! I'm not sure what is making this scent stink on me, but I suspect it is the amber (as Bastet had a similar initial scent before the almonds of awesome took over). It was dirty and not in the good way. The scent was like that from the moment I put it on to when it faded. I will simply say this: while wearing this, no less than three people asked what smelled like piss (in three different places as well so it was not something in the surroundings). Yeah. There was none of the vanilla that I was hoping for, but I'm also going to wait and see if this improves with age. *sigh* I had such high hopes as well!

Gah, this was ridiculously hard to open. I ended spilling it all over my fingers, wrist, and imp. On the imp (sniffed the tag because I'm like that) it is so lovely. Moonflower, jasmine, musk, all blended together perfectly. On me? Barely detectable. The scent doesn't morph much, just gets more and more faint. This is so very lovely, but completely not there as well. I'll keep my imp, perhaps for when I'm going to sleep or something.

When I first opened this, I said, "oh dear." I'm convinced that the lab's amber note hates me. It smells really off to me. On my skin and wet it still smells really sickly. I can't describe it well, but let's just say it was enough that I almost washed it off. Good thing I didn't though! Less than five minutes later, when it dries, the amber fades and the spiciness and good sweetness and musk all comes out and it balances perfectly. I absolutely adore this scent!

Had such high hopes from reading the reviews/forum. Of course, I also know that aged Snake Oil is supposedly heaven in a bottle from reading the reviews/forum. Imp: Spicy and sweet. Hm... Wet: patchouli attack! Also, lots of gritty spices. No vanilla. Dry: still no vanilla, and the spices are making my nose twitch in a rather unpleasant way. This is pure spice on me, and not the good, sensual kind. The kind you season meat with. As I said, the forums have taught me to hold onto this one in the hopes of the vanilla/resin coming out. I do hate waiting, but for the lab's best-selling scent, I will do it.

Guh. Just opened my order and the first scent on was Gluttony. Unfortunately, I did not take into account that I'd just showered and used some floral-scented conditioner but I hope that doesn't change the test much. In the imp: hmm... light toffee and hazelnut liqueur. Wet: I got a weird gingerbread vibe with a hint of caramel toffees. It was pretty light so I was tempted to start the slathering. Dry: No need for slathering! This was dark, rich chocolate with caramel swirls on it. It gets stronger and stronger and some sort of honey scent comes out. Every now and then I get a whiff of the heavenly pralines. Nothing is too sweet, but everything is decadent and kind of intense. I'm kind of drooling as I let the scent waft up to me. I'm definitely keeping and wearing the imp (complete comfort scent; not totally appropriate for the summer though) but there's no need for a bottle. It's really ridiculously rich, which I think is good except for the part where I kind of want to eat myself now.

I'm pretty much sitting around, praying for my CnS to come, so I thought I'd review my old imps to take my mind off the wait. Death on a Pale Horse was actually the first BPAL I ordered and it smells completely different depending on my cycle. Last time I tried it, I completely hated it but this time through it's more bearable. Wet on my skin - really sharp, dry, and kind of unpleasant. It's a really medicinal smell which is a strange contrast with the other scent I'm getting: dirt. The vetiver is going nuts and it's completely dominating everything else. Dry - The mint is raising its head. If I press my nose to my wrist, I can barely smell the sandalwood and lime. That's really refreshing. It's still really sharp and there's still way too much vetiver for my taste. I really can't pick out anything other than that. This is probably the least comforting scent I have ever sniffed. Verdict - too much vetiver; still, I might put it on whenever I need a jolt.

I just ordered, so I thought I'd go back and try some of the old ones while I wait (it always feels so much longer than it is!). Lady of Shalott has been sitting in my imp box for a while now, so it smelled a bit differently than I remembered. imp: strong, sweet florals with an aquatic edge that keeps me sniffing. Completely perfect blend with all sorts of depth that had me sniffing forever before I finally put it on. wet: still amazing. Florals are definitely still present, but less so than before. A sweet sort of musk is rising to the surface. dry: so, so faint. I love the smell, so I'm trying to resist the urge to slather more on. 45 minutes: GONE. This blend is particularly tragic for me. It's romantic, sad, sweet yet fresh, and what I want to smell like all the time. I don't mind that the throw is poor for me (you have to be right next to me and sniffing for it). Unfortunately, even when I dispense massive amounts of it onto my skin, it's gone within the hour. I'll keep the imp, but this is not a bottle for me. Smell: 5/5 Staying Power: 0/5