simpsonmeredith

In decant: sharp and very sweet frankincense Wet: Dry, sweet and spicy, cinnamon and pepper together. Sandlewood is definitely a player. Dry: The cinnamon just starts to fade and it's becoming less sweet. Not getting any tobacco. (I'm not familiar with blonde tobacco so maybe I'm missing it.) This is much softer than I expected. 2 hours later: This is a powdery, sweetened incense on me, not in a bad way. It's much girlier on me than I had thought possible.

This was beautiful in the bottle and during the wet stages. Dark resins with spicy vanilla and amazing florals. I typically can't stand florals but I'm going to have to put chrysanthemum and marigolds in the carnation category of love after this. I really wanted to love this. Amber incense with vanilla and sandalwood? Come on, this was meant for me. Unfortunately, something in here turns to soap during the drydown.

This is what I wanted Tiki Queen to be. Wet: Musk, floral and coconut are all competing for my attention. The tobacco flower is saying "Me! Me! Pick Me!" but my skin immediately sends it to the corner and amps up the amber, musk and dry coconut. Mmmm. Dry: Soft and sultry coconut. The top note is scented coconut cake. I don't mean a sweet coconut icing, I mean the real honest to goodness cake baked with coconut cream and extract straight from the oven. The amber and musk are light but add a lot of warmth. They keep this from being foody. I know I'm saying coconut cake but can't emphasis enough that this isn't sweet or foody. The tobacco flower is far in background and it lets me feel like I'm wearing a floral without being FLORAL. It's a dirty floral. Very sexy. Dry, 2 Hours: The amber and musk are blending really well with the coconut. Lovely. Dry, 8 Hours: This has staying power and even a decent throw throughout all the stages. I can't stop wearing this one. This is a perfect spring/summer scent. Love it and waiting for my bottle to arrive because my decant is close to empty already. ETA: I just looked at the notes again. It must be the oakmoss that's making that dirty floral.

This is the most bizarre BPAL experience. I thought it was kinda crazy when Beth bottled dirt. I don't wear Graveyard Dirt, but I covet my decant because it's just an incredible piece of art. But this one is sorta weird. Beth bottled what my sweat smells like when I don't wear deodorant. In the decant: Umm, that's what my armpits smell like. I must be losing my mind so I have my husband sniff the decant. His face looks puzzled and he smells it again by request. "mmm, that smells like you." Although I've been spending a lot of effort since puberty to cover this up, apparently my husband likes it and we're distracted for awhile. Wet: Hello mint. This isn't sweet sugared peppermint, this is straight mint from the leaves in your momma's garden. Dry: A bit of flower comes out, subtle but the mint is still powerful. There is a stage of blackberry that is quiet nice but then my woodsy BO smell is in the background. Finally, it settles: Blackberry BO with just a touch of mint. I have no idea whether I should get a bottle of this or not. Part of me actually likes it and the other part of me thinks I'm behaving like Mary Katherine Gallagher.

The dark, of night. Teak, frankincense, caramel, oakmoss, red currant, labdanum absolute, bitter clove, patchouli, star anise, tobacco, and black musk. Gorgeous. I adore the teak in this. Wet: It goes on with strong teak, patchouli and tobacco. It's a heavy resin. Definitely a little clove but no sweetness. Caramel and currants? Not here. Dry: Teak wood and tobacco. The black musk is here but it blends beautifully into the background with the patchouli. This is the sultry scent I've been looking for. The teak in this is similar to the one in glowing vulva but more demanding. It dominates on me and I love it. Can't wait to slather on the husband. One Hour Later: There is a teeny, tiny hint of fruit but I'm really huffing my wrist to pinpoint it.

This reminds me of Red Lantern so much that I had to do a wrist by wrist comparison. On me, Red Lantern is sweeter and boozy caramel when it dries down. Pepper-Smoked Caramel is a darker, slightly-burnt caramel with heavy bonfire smoke. LOVE IT. If you enjoyed Red Lantern, this really is worth a try. Personally, this is much sexier than RL. There is a lot of comparison to Gluttony in the reviews but that isn't the case on me. Despite being chocolate and caramel, the sweetness is definitely in the background but it's not a main player note-wise.

Wet: Sharp orange spiked with spicy ginger. I'm talking Wusthof knife sharp here. And is that...a minty patchouli? Dry: It's a morpher and it's beautiful! It's a creamy orange blossom with sugared ginger. I don't smell vanilla specifically but it must be causing the creaminess. The ginger is very light and clean. CleaIt's literally naughty and nice. This just gets better and better. Can't keep my wrist away from my nose. *nuzzles self* This is going to get a lot of love from me this summer. This is seductive. Total sex kitten.

I was wondering how White Chocolate and Strawberry compared to American Cream. So many reviews seem to remind me of American Cream. Thoughts?

This was frimped to me last year. No idea how old it was but it's definitely changed since I first got it. Wet: This is nice! Very spicy and deep. Love the resins with the ginger. This isn't foody at all but it does have some of the gingerbread spice mix going on: cloves, allspice, mace but without a hint of cinnamon that usually ads brings a bit of sweetness. This isn't clean, fresh ginger. This is the smell of ginger that is dirty and raw and burning. Wicked, naughty Shub! Dry: Just when Shub was about to seduce me for a dinner sacrifice for her kids -- I ate her first. And all of her children. There is nothing left. My skin chemistry annihilated her in less that 10 minutes. *CHOMP* All gone.

Wet: Hello, Minotaur!!!!! A GC version of Minotaur is a happy discovery indeed! Dry: Oh, crud. This is another frimp that I didn't look the notes up before trying. There is rose in this and on any normal person, I'm sure it's a beautiful floral note behind the sexiest of myrrhs. On me though, it's overpowering, spoiled rose. No myrrh. No jasmine. If you liked Minotaur, you should try this. I imagine that the rose makes this a feminine/softer version of Minotaur. I am so jealous of all of you that can wear rose. *pouts*

If ever there was a perfume to wear to church on Easter Sunday, this would be it. There is a little sugar, a little spice and the carnation makes everything nice. If people hadn't praised this as much as they had, I would never have tried it because I dislike milk and rose notes. Milk notes go sour on me and it reminds of baby spit up. Rose smells amazing in flower form and on other people but on me, it's a funeral parlor. So Alice is a huge surprise because I'm not amping rose or spoiled milk. In fact, I can't smell either. The carnation is the dominant note and it's just clean and sweet in the background. Alice definitely had a bubble bath before she was allowed out to play. A very clean little girl who loves flowers and cake. Love it!

This was not what I was expecting. In Bottle: Dirty orange. Dirty, dirty orange. Wet: For two brief seconds this is sweet orange and I think I made a mistake in getting a bottle. Then it morph...dramatically. The orange blossom is there but far in the background. This is where it gets weird, within about a minute it starts to smell like an innocent Shub-Niggurath. This is her younger sister. Don't get me wrong, she's a randy little thing but in a good girl gone naughty sort of way. Now, I'm really excited because I loved Shub but it fades within a few minutes on me. Dry: The vanilla and amber are kicking into gear but the spiciness lingers. The floral note is very soft but not overwhelming, it just adds a bit of sweetness. I normally can't wear florals but I'm not having any problems with this. (I'm not amping the floral at all and no headaches either) The vanilla here is spicy. This is not a sugary vanilla, the amber makes sure of that.

I got this as a frimp and wasn't familiar with the notes with I tried it. I often like to try things before ready the notes because it's more fun for me to try to guess. Big mistake in this case. In Bottle: OMG, this smells similar to Underpants with a floral background. Had to try this immediately as it is AMAZING. Wet: Oh, this is a tricksy fellow indeed. That floral is immediately recognized the second it hits my skin: Rose. Strong, overwhelming rose. Dry: Rose and more rose. If there are other notes in, they are lost on me. If you amp rose in a bad way, this is a no go. Rose smells so good in the bottle and on others, but once it hits me all you get is old ladies in a funeral home. This was really disappointing because it's amazing in the Bottle. If you can wear rose and liked Underpants, please try this. I think you will love it.

Do you remember Red Hots? That's exactly what this is. As is dries a bit of the caramel comes out. It's sweet but not cloying. The cardamon/cinnamon keeps that in check. It's a red hot, not sure what else to even say. If you want to smell naughty, this is it. It really needs a sexy devil outfit to go with it. ETA: There is the chocolate! The groundhog was hoarding but after about two hours, he decided to share. This morphed into a very warm chocolate and caramel. This is not a sweet scent though.

Bottled sex pheromones. In bottle: sage and wood. I love this in the bottle but I think it's because of the association I have with it. It's an instant turn on. Drydown: Leather amps up. The cedar is there but very light in the background. As it continues to dry, a smoky vanilla comes out and the scent does lighten somewhat. And then the cedar comes back out but more woodsy than cedar. It's very well blended. I don't smell the carnation specifically but that might be what ends up lightening the scent during the drydown. Now this is with my body chemistry. On my husband it is similar, but it's literally the more masculine version. It's deeper, a little more woodsy, a little smokier. The vanilla is much darker but definitely there and definitely not sweet. As a sidenote, the imp I tried and the bottle I have were not straight from the lab. I have no idea how old they are so this may be something that needs to age but it well worth aging if that's the case. Yum.

I was really expecting something like a lavender vanilla so when I tested this, I was surprised to discover a very yummy lemon/vanilla butter-cream. It's vanilla citrus and cream with some sweetness. Sweet innocence. There was a hint of lavender when it was first applied but in vanished within a couple minutes. It reminds me of a feeling you have in childhood where you were tucked in a clean, freshly made bed, snuggled with a favorite stuffed animal and feel like the world is a safe place where you are loved and adored because in the air, you can smell the cake your mommy is making for your birthday tomorrow. That is the secret to TKO. You fall asleep feeling utterly loved and safe. Beth has managed to bottle a happy childhood. Wow.

The name says it all. Despite reading the Vampire Chronicles this summer, this one doesn't do it for me. I feel like all my reviews end up being about something sexy or sensual. This is about as far away from that as it gets. I'm sorry, I couldn't keep this on for the dry down, I barely lasted 10 minutes and had to scrub it off. Change my shirt. Shower. Exfoliate. Sickly sweet wine poured over decaying flesh. The wine is the most prominent note but the decay is there (and it smells like decay, not dirt on me) hiding in the background trying hard to disguise itself. I wish I could appreciate this but it wasn't meant to be.

Oh, Dee! Where were you when I worked as a librarian? This is the smell of discovery that could only be found on the printed page, overlooked for countless years by everyone else too careless to notice. Exciting and youthful as a result. It's confident and mysterious. It's...Indian Jones about to take on a great adventure! The leather and tonka are amazing, and they are also amazing on my dh. Yum! This is one that I'll be sharing with him because it works well on both of us. On me, it's more tonka with leather and it's the reverse on him. It always surprises me how the same oil can smell so different.

Oh, I'm sad I only have one bottle of this! How was I to know this would be the greatest combination of musk, amber, sandalwood and tobacco? Tobacco is often hit or miss with me, often overpowering everything else on the dry down. But not here! I love ambers, but sometimes the musk overtakes it and makes it kinda dirty. This is perfectly balanced where the four notes I mentioned are all there in happy harmony. The amber is beautiful and the musk adds an element that is turning me into a cat, rubbing my face/nose against my arm. Sophisticated. Sensual. Gorgeous.

I've got to get a bottle of this! The ylang ylang is amazing. Creamy vanilla, kinda smokey and the dry down on me has a touch of honey (but that could just me my chemistry). It's romantic, soft and very sexy, but in a white, cotton gown kind of way. Windows open with fresh air and a light breeze brushing over bare skin while on a magnificent bed of crisp, clean linens (though this does not resemble any kind of linen smell, it just makes me imagine being on them.). Lovely. If Hollywood Babylon is innocence shattered, this is innocence retained by true love.

Pure heaven. It's the perfect combination of fresh cut wood and vanilla. And by fresh cut wood, I don't mean a green smell. It's that smell of autumn and someone chopping dried wood to store up for the winter. It's a real, honest to goodness, dried oak wook. Wearing this is like taking yourself to a romantic, luxury cabin in the woods. Haloes cemented my addictiom to BPAL. It's definitely in my top 5. I want to say it's #1, but I don't want hurt the other bottles' feelings.

Wow. I'm in love. In the bottle, this smells like spoiled fruit incense so it took me awhile to try. So glad I did! Love! Love! Love! It's deep but the strawberry on the dry down is lovely. The vanilla and amber are divine and the sweetness from the strawberry gives it just the right amount of...innocence. Beth just bottled being in love and long, hot Saturday mornings in bed.

Have you ever been to the French Quarter in New Orlean's? If you have, you may have walked past one of the stores there that is a linen store. You can smell the rose water they starch everything with for a solid block. I mean, even drunk with the store closed at night you can smell it. If you ever went by this place, you'll know what I mean. That is Rose Red to me. It wasn't at all what I expected but I did learn something. I can't wear rose. This is note that is extremely powerful on me and it doesn't fade. In fact, it only intensifies. Just using a tiny dab on my wrists was too much for my dh to handle across the room. This is going into the swap pile for someone else to love. I'm sorry Rose Red, if it means anything, you were my favorite story growing up. If you like rose, this is pure, clean rose and you will love it.

This one was really a disappointment. It sounded amazing but not on me. The ginger is overwhelming and never mellows out on me. It actually intensifies to something not at all pleasant. The vanilla in the bottle disappears completely once it hits my skin. It's like sickeningly sweet spice that made me kinda ill. I'm not sure what about this didn't work. I love vanillas and I have a couple gingers that I adore but they are cut heavily with citrus. Maybe pure ginger just doesn't work with me.

This is what I was hoping Tiki Queen would be like. I was a little nervous with the dark musk and coconut but this is amazing. It's a sexy walk along the beach at sundown. Growing up at the beach, this is where Tiki King takes me. It smells like a long, hot kiss. Coconut and lemon mixed with sweat. Okay, that may not sound good but it is. Absolute lust. Wet, this is very citrusy. The lemon really is strongest here but it dries down to an incredible coconut. It's not sweet at all. The musk is perfect and I dislike most musks, they end up overwhelming everything, but not here! This is really a dark coconut with what I always wish musk could be. Although this is Tiki King, it's not masculine to me at all. It may not have florals or sweetness but this is the smell of the sexiest woman in the world. I wish I had bought more than one bottle. ETA: 1. I have found that there are definitely times of the month that I can't wear it as it turns to nasty gym BO. No idea how something this amazing can go so nasty on me but if you had a bad experience with TK, I would recommend trying it again. I've never had a scent that morphed this dramatically due to ovulation. 2. One year later, this has aged to absolute perfection. I thought it was amazing last year, but not it's even softer and sexier. I can't resist it and neither can DH.