JazzieCazzie

Picked up six tester scents from this release on eBay. IN THE IMP: Definitely much more gingerbread than honey. Dabbed on wrist. WET: Strongly gingerbread and only minimally honey at the beginning. It is sweet, though. Pretty much a WYSIWYG but there is also something else lurking in the background that I can't put my finger on which I think may be a tad boozy, and that would fit the series. DRYDOWN: Odd. Pleasant but a little ... salty? Herbal? I know no one's mentioned this so it could simply be my own weird body chemistry but I am getting a note that reminds me a little bit of chicken soup. There was a proto from awhile back, either Nine Mysteries or Obeah I think, where I also got a chicken soup mix. I am thinking it could be one of the spices in the gingerbread that reacts this way on me. OVERALL: This may be the nicest of the batch on my skin but it's not really me. On a scale of 1-5, a 3.

Since I LOVED the scent of the Blueberry Peppermint in the bath oil tester I received, I couldn't resist bidding on a tester lot of six of the Stocking scents that included this. I had forgotten that mint is a note of doom on me, though I adore it as a real-life scent and flavor. IN THE IMP: Totally full-on blue mint, like mouthwash, Very bracing and eye-opening. Would be a great sinus-clearer. Dabbed into crook of arm (wrists still wearing other scents from earlier in the day). WET: The blueberry creeps in so it smells like a sweet mint. Not awful. The bath oil, to me, smells better because it doesn't have the reaction my skin has to the scent (blergy). My thinking, while this is wet, is that while I know this is a no-go on me as a scent, it might make a great tester-sniffie to use in my steamshower's aromatherapy well. DRYDOWN: Sadly, this goes just horribly, horribly wrong on me on drydown. And I'm not sure if it's even the mint that's the culprit. I tend to not like fruity notes with the exceptions of pink grapefruit and fig (I couldn't even try on the Raspberry Thumbprint Cookie scent, the raspberry was so repellent) so it could very well be the blueberry ... but whatever it is, it's just rancid on me. I smell like an old lady. I can't even take the chance that this will be the case in the steamshower, so instead all six of the testers will go onto my special "tester package take 'em all" list when I update my swap list next month. Le sigh. OVERALL: Well, I am really glad I got to try it because based on how much I like the bath oil, I might have bought a bottle if it was re-released. On a scale of 1-5, a 1.

Got an imp of this in a small lot I bought on eBay. Disclaimer: I'm not a big fan of strawberry-scented blends but there have been two -- Pink Moon 2005 and Malkuth -- that I could stomach so I was curious about this one. Not optimistic but certainly willing to try. IN THE IMP: Not sure how many Philosophy 3-in-1 shower gel fans there are here, but a few years ago they had a limited edition set available on QVC that included a scent called Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries. You can still find it sometimes on eBay, Amazon.com, etc. I still have some. And this smells EXACTLY like that. I think the chocolate in the Philosophy shower gel is supposed to be milk chocolate but it's not really definable. And I don't have the nose to discern which kind of chocolate it is. Dabbed on wrist. WET: Yup. This is that. MUCH more strawberry than chocolate but a strawberry that I actually like. Like the Strawberry Shortcake dolls. And like, to me, the sauce you get on strawberry shortcakes or sundaes. Probably because the chocolate is giving it that sweetness, but to me it's still a sweet strawberry more than a chocolate-y strawberry if that makes sense. It's also got a little pungency to it. DRYDOWN: Not a long laster on me. But the tart/sweet mix is very nice and works well for my nose. OVERALL: I would not buy a big bottle of this or wear it regularly for one reason. My husband HATES the smell of the Philosophy gel so I can be pretty sure he wouldn't like this either. He thinks it smells like barf in the bathroom after I take a bubble bath with that gel. So since I have a nice 4-oz. bottle of the gel that I take with me when I travel (dual bubble bath and shampoo), my plan is to use the rest of this imp and make lotion that I can wear with the gel/shampoo when I'm away and he's not there. Hee. On a scale of 1-5, about a 3.5. It's not for everyone and it's pretty strong but it's really interesting and cool.

Got an imp of this in a swap and was very excited to try it. I had never tried ANY of the Box of Chocolate blends, oddly enough, but I love Beth's chocolate and cocoa notes. IN THE IMP: Sugary sweet light violet. I am not getting what I think of as a "chocolate" note per se, but that could be because white chocolate is simply different from the usual chocolate or cocoa. Dabbed on wrist. WET: It smells almost exactly the same on my skin as it does in the imp and that's not a bad thing. It's really lovely, super nice. Just sweetness (but not cloying nauseating sweetness, pure light sugar candied sweetness) and candied violets. I have never eaten candied violets but I imagine this is the olfactory equivalent of what they'd taste like. DRYDOWN: Light, delicate, sweet violets. Sorry for the department of redundancy department. Consciously I am not getting ANY chocolate vibe from this but it is more than possible that the white chocolate is simply part of what I am sniffing as "sweet sweet sweetness." OVERALL: I really, really like this. I don't think I'd buy a full bottle but would not turn down more imps. I think it would make a GREAT BPTP bath oil or bubble bath -- that I'd buy. Light and delicate and subtle. It's something I'd wear when I feel like singing "I Enjoy Being A Girl" (what, you don't go around singing that?) ... I sometimes read posts from people asking for suggestions of a scent to buy for a tween/teen girl they want to get into BPAL and now that I've smelled this, I would definitely post next time and suggest looking for this. On a scale of 1-5, a 4.

I would never have ordered this myself because it has "note of doom" peach in it, but it was part of a small lot of imps I purchased on eBay and I am bound and determined to try EVERYTHING that comes my way for the sake of anal-retentiveness. IN THE IMP: Sadly but not unexpectedly, peach is the overriding note to my squeamish nose. Dabbed onto one wrist. WET: Happily, this is not as deadly once applied to my skin. I think this is because honey has a tendency to amp on me big-time, maybe even more than peach and other icky stone fruits (icky to my nose, but among my favorites to eat, go figure). So the sweetness of the honey offsets or at least lessens the more nauseating (to me) sweetness of the peach. Plus, another big amper for me is patchouli (love) and in this case that REALLY helps balance out the blend for me. DRYDOWN: The patchouli, honey and cocoa make up for the peach to a big degree for me, and the patchouli in particular gives the scent a surprising crispness and balance. OVERALL: Crazy as it sounds, this blend reminds me a lot of nursery school -- a combination of paste (patchouli) and fruit juice. Unlike most nursery schools, we did NOT have milk and cookies because it was an orthodox synagogue nursery school (we're not orthodox but it was a great nursery school). Ironic, since the blend name is Hebrew. This will go in the swap pile but it was not the disaster on my I had feared. On a scale of 1-5, about a 2.5

I got an imp of this as part of a small (and ridiculously cheap, not sure how it slid by!!!) lot on eBay which I had bid on specifically for another imp and a BPTP goblin squirt. But the anal-retentive part of me insisted on test-driving even the scents that I had not actively sought, and even though I suspected they might not work. What we do for love and science. IN THE IMP: Not unpleasant (I say this because honestly, of all the notes, ONLY the amber is one that I consider a "me" note). Floral, rich, complex, rosy, creamy. Applied just to my wrist (test-driving both of the unknown quantity imps from this purchase and didn't want to go all-out with crooks of arms in case they really were disasters on me). WET: The immediate reaction was ugh. The second was blerg. I got an immediate queasy reaction and was SURE there was something fruity in there though nothing was listed. Perhaps it was one of the unspecified "opaline notes"? Definitely smelled the rose but it wasn't super strong. I couldn't place the ozone. I got no amber at all when wet. It screamed "wash me off" but I held out. It's complex and confusing ... DRYDOWN: I'm glad I held out because it definitely improved as it dried. Whatever the note was that was making me physically queasy evaporated quite quickly. And in its place, the amber amped up and did a nice job, for me, of evening out the sweetness. Dry, I'd assess this as primarily rose and amber. OVERALL: Definitely goes onto my swap list, but it was NOT, in the end, a strict wash-off (though I did wash it off since I just showered, LOL). Still haven't figured out the mystery fruity note. On a scale of 1-5, a 2ish. But when wet it would have been a 1 so that's not that bad.

Received as part of the lovely TTP's decant circle. Worth noting in advance that normally I would NEVER have ordered this because it has almost exclusively mildly deal-breaking notes of doom. However, I really wanted to go whole hog on this particular decant circle and try things I might not have tried otherwise, figuring I can always put things that don't work on my swap list. And this was the one I most expected to be a "does not work" for me. IN THE IMP: I honestly don't have words to define this. It's much simpler and cleaner than I would have expected by the list of notes in the blend. I'm getting vanilla but in a clean, dry linen way, not a sweety-sweet way. And no fruit or booze in the imp throw for me. Dabbed somewhat cautiously on wrist and in crook of arm. WET: Upon application, the fruit amps up as I expected (and I am not a fruit girl at all unless it's pink grapefruit or fig). The mandarin, cognac and apple blossom are the notes that are most evident to me. Yet it's not terrible. It's very complex but it doesn't have that "department store" component. DRYDOWN: And just the mere fact that I don't feel the need to wash it off is a huge "yay"!!! There's also something as it dries down which is salty/peppery -- I figure is probably the caramelized tobacco. OVERALL: While this scent is not for me, it is yet another example, in my opinion, of Beth's amazing virtuosity. She takes what is, in essence, an absolute feast of all of these different categories -- sweet food, flowers, fruit, booze, etc. -- and makes it a truly unified blend. It's not MY blend, but it's a great one. On a scale of 1-5, a 3 just for its amazingness in that respect.

From a decant from the lovely TTP circle: IN THE IMP: Slightly bitter (vetiver), medicinal and resinous (the DB, for me) and yet somehow a little creamy as well (orris?). Dabbed on one wrist and in crook of arm. WET: For perhaps the first time I was really able to recognize the vetiver and "get" it. It wasn't super strong on me and, on application, "bitter" is not the right word, really ... "pungent" might be a better description. It's not unpleasant, it's just odd. And it is definitely the overwhelming note when wet. DRYDOWN: Much, much nicer for me as the dragon's blood comes out and that is a favorite note for me. On my wrist, I get the spicy medicinal quality I associate with DB with just a little bit of the vetiver's pungency. OVERALL: This is very, very nice. I will end up putting it on my swap list when I update it simply because it's something that I suspect others will want to try and I have a LOT of great DB blends in my BPAL collection that I like more, but if someone said "you have to keep this and wear it" I wouldn't have a problem with that either. On a scale of 1-5, a 3.8 or so.

Received imp as extra in a swap. IN THE IMP: Brilliantly named since the first word that came to mind was "sharp!". I get green and polished wood. Dabbed on one wrist and into crook of arm. WET: This immediately amps very resiny on me (a good thing). I'm not getting a super-strong dragon's blood note (and I <3 dragon's blood) but it's definitely there, more like a solid background player, a supporting role. And despite my "in the imp" vibe of "green," this is not green OR aquatic on me when wet at all. It's actually surprisingly awesome. DRYDOWN: Sadly, the good things came to an end as it dried. The delicious resinous notes took a waaaaay back seat to what I guess were the "tears" -- aquatic equals SOAPY on me. And it has a lot of long-term throw so I'm sitting here getting whiffs and wafts of Soapy McSoaperson (since we're having plumbing stuff done, I can't shower for a few hours). OVERALL: This looked, early on, like it could be a keeper but the drydown killed that for me. It's very clean. But it's not me. On a scale of 1-5, a 2.8.

Received what seems to be a partial imp as an extra in a swap. IN THE IMP: Hard to pinpoint, at first, specific notes. I get a round reddish musk but also the fruit and, oddly, a touch of floral, sort of like a non-macho men's cologne. Dabbed on one wrist and in crook of arm. WET: Really not me. Sadly, the neroli and bergamot amp right away and hide any trace of the amber, musk, frankincense and/or sandalwood which might have made this work for me. But it's not awful, not a "OMG I HAVE TO WASH THIS OFF NOW," so I wait it out to see if perhaps on drydown the resins or woods would come out to play. DRYDOWN: They don't. It's all soapy neroli and bergamot all the time. And I get something a little funky-stinky like myrrh drydown though I don't see myrrh as a note. OVERALL: Into the Shakespearean swap pile or, more likely (once I check oil level) into the frimp box. On a scale of 1-5, about a 2.5

Got an imp in a decant circle. Prefacing here -- I decided to get imps of EVERY available scent in this circle out of sheer curiosity (with the exception of Black Taffeta, which I already had) rather than picking and choosing based on notes or descriptions. And I think had I done the latter, I would NOT have chosen this one. I'm so glad I did it this way. IN THE IMP: Very very interesting. Bright, clean, slightly minty and slightly white floral. And something else I can't quite put my finger on. I want to say plastic except that I think most of us associate "plastic smell" as a negative and this isn't negative at all. Dabbed on one wrist and in the crook of my arm. WET: WOWZA! This is so not what I would have expected. In fact it's the polar -- well, NON-polar -- opposite. It is VERY floral on me. A white floral, but not the lily-soapy kind of white floral. If I had to guess at the flower I think I'd say white lilac (even though that would probably be wrong). It's gorgeous and springy and lovely and heady but not "in your face" at all. DRYDOWN: Just wonderful. I am not a fan of ozone or mint or snow or the other general "feeling/atmospheric" blends most of the time which is why I was not optimistic about this. But, on me, for whatever reason, there is NO ozone or mint or snow. Just the smell of spring flowers. And warmth. Weird, huh? OVERALL: A surprise keeper. And I'm glad for that because I happen to LOVE "snow globes" and have a small collection (not a big one, but whenever I would travel for work I'd try to find cool ones to bring home to Cazzie Lite). On a scale of 1-5, a 4.4

Got myself a decant in the most recent decantapalooza. IN THE IMP: It's times like these that I realize that words I use to describe scents are probably YMMV. And times like these I wish, again, that BPAL would create some awesome weekend-long "fantasy camp" where we could learn to sniff and define and make blends. But I digress ... To ME, the word that came to mind was "sharp." Yet the true patchouli experts on this thread are all saying that it's not sharp, but rather smoky and woody. ... *sigh* ... my words that came to mind were "sharp," "powerful" and then slightly foody. Dabbed on one wrist and into the crook of one arm (double-barreled with another scent on the other arm). WET: REALLY strong. Very true patchouli, though slightly less "nursery school paste" (disclaimer: I LIKE nursery school paste scent). In fact, when first applied, I assumed I'd put this in the swap pile because it was SO strong and sharp. DRYDOWN: It dried quickly and really mellowed out to more headshop (disclaimer: I also REALLY LIKE headshop scent). So to me, the best way I could describe this is a nice, mellow, headshoppy woodsy scent. OVERALL: I think what I have learned from getting the SNs of this and the Sumatran Red (why do I feel like I'm talking about ... something else from my youth ... when I use these terms?) is that I love patchouli as a note in a blend but not as much alone. I don't think I'd wear this alone. And I don't think I'd buy a big bottle. But it's NOT going into the swap pile ... rather, it's something I'd use to layer/blend/offset some other scents that might play nicely with the patchouli. On a scale of 1-5, a 3.5

I was intrigued by the notes listed here though I should have been warned off by the descriptions ... but decided to live a little dangerously and bought a bottle from Etsy. IN THE BOTTLE: Sharp and almost metallic. Deep, dark, cologney. Dabbed on wrist and in crook of arm. WET: Maddeningly familiar with something I can't put my finger on. Still sharp and very masculine. Something ever-so-slightly plastic or even industrial but not in a bad way per se. VERY VERY clean and soapy, so maybe the "industrial" is cleaning materials. But it's not lemony pledge or anything, just very very very clean. Almost cloyingly so. DRYDOWN: This is so strong that it makes me a little nauseated, but it's not that it's an unpleasant smell per se. It just doesn't work for me at all. And then reading the reviews again I realize that it is probably the tea that is my note of doom here. I don't get any cola and I don't really get any musk either. Just a very clean soapy cologne. OVERALL: I have a feeling that this would smell great on a guy and would not make me queasy in that situation. But for me, it's a no-go and will appear on my updated swap list as soon as I go through my latest sniffapalooza list and do a one-time update. On a scale of 1-5, a 2 for me.

Hail unto thee who art Khephra in Thy hiding, even unto Thee who art Khephra in Thy silence, who travellest over the heavens in Thy bark at the Midnight Hour of the Sun. Tahuti standeth in His splendour at the prow, and Ra-Hoor abideth at the helm.Hail unto Thee from the Abodes of Evening. Received an imp of this in a swap. I am positive I had tried it before, because I know I did all the Stations of the Sun when they were released, but Ahathoor was the only keeper for me at the time. But I was interested in giving this another go, especially since I had not reviewed it so who knew what went wrong first time, if anything. IN THE IMP: Surprisingly sharp based on the notes, all of which I generally love in one form or another. Definitely a golden scent. Can't pick out any of the individual notes. Am also assuming this is an aged imp. Dabbed on wrist an in one crook of arm. WET: This is AMAZING when wet. The cinnamon and cloves immediately amp big time for me. And although it is not a fruity scent per se, on me this smells like delicious golden cinnamon apple pie baking. It could not be more different than the imp scent. DRYDOWN: Once again, this morphs considerably as it dries. It returns to that sharpness and loses the cinnamony warmth. I am not getting any lavender from this at all, nor frankincense as far as I can tell. And, sadly, the myrrh goes wonky on me in the crook of my arm (it does that some time but not always), with a sort of sweat-sock salty scent. OVERALL: If this could stay wet all the time I'd go to the ends of the earth to get more. But, in the end, it's not something I'd wear because of the drydown problems. I WILL, however, give this a shot in my newly-installed steam shower which has a little well for aromatherapy oil. I'm hoping that given the nature of the mechanics, it's something where it will amp "wet notes" and I bet that would make a luscious couple of showers! On a scale of 1-5, a 5 when wet but a 3 when dry. And since dry lasts longer, I give it a 3.5

Received a half-bottle in a swap from my lengthy wishlist of scents to try (I will NEVER finish filling out this list but it's fun to have new-to-me scents to review again). Was a little hesitant because of the tea note, which is just shy of being a "note of doom" for me and which usually amps. IN THE BOTTLE: Lovely. Absolutely lovely. Woody AND woodsy (there is slight difference to me). Not getting cedar on the initial bottle sniff. Probably juniper I'm smelling which I'm unable to narrow down to a single note (not a refined enough nose palate). I get sweetness and resin and, happily, no tea. Since there was only a little bit in the bottle (I'd decanted into three full imps and saved the little bit left for testing), and first sniff was promising, I lavished ... dabbed on both wrists, in crooks of both arms, behind ears and in cleavage. WET: Upon application the cedar amps (I happen to love cedar so that's fine with me) and it gets very slightly soapy but not in a bad (lily-like) way, just in an invigoratingly clean way. The wrists tend to highlight the sweet cleanness of the cedar and, I think, nutmeg while the crooks of my arm are a little more sarsaparilla-ly kicky. Overall, just a great complex blend and, yay, still no tea! DRYDOWN: Pretty true to the wet notes. The cedar is predominant on drydown and I'm just fine with that. There is underlying wood and pine and greenness as well but it's all really subtle. For me, the true test is cleavage scent which, when applied, amps stuff like crazy. And that is very sweet and cool and woody with a touch of soda from the sarsaparilla. Really excellent. And best of all? NO TEA!!! OVERALL: I like-love this a lot. I'm not freaking out about not being able to load up on bottles of it because I think I have a lot of blends that are very cedar-y and green so that's good. But I'd give this about a 4.5.

Received an imp of this as an amazing and unexpected extra in a swap, straight off my wishlist!!! IN THE IMP: Predominantly almond to me. For some reason, whenever there is almond in a blend it's the first thing I smell. But this sweet almond is tempered almost immediately by what I THINK is the sandalwood but could be the ho wood. Dabbed on one wrist, rubbed to the other, and also dabbed in the crook of one arm. WET: Very, very sweet and delicious. My immediate vibe is very snickerdoodlish but the surplus of wood and resins and musk keep it from going full-on bakery/foody and more complex. DRYDOWN: The musk becomes much more prominent as it dries down. I get NO patchouli at all from this, at least not noticeably as an individual note (I like patchouli but I can live with/without it). To me, this is too sweet to be really sexy and too sexy to be really sweet, but whatever it is, I like it a lot. ... A few people have noted a "cola" note sort of like what's in Voodoo, and since "cola" is my favorite BPAL note (not really a note, I know, but I love cola-like scents like Schwarzer Mond, Lycaon and Voodoo), I can sort of ALMOST smell it but not full-on ... Almost like it's phantom-cola. I wonder if it could be the amber? I DO see a Voodoo comp though. OVERALL: Sugar cookies in a headshop. Not that there's anything wrong with THAT combination! On a scale of 1-5, a 4+

Just got this in a purchase from a lovely forumite because for some crazy reason my brain did not process it when it was for sale ... The scent of dandelions has always reminded me of two things: spring had finally come to NYC in Central Park, and my grandfather. No, Poppy didn't smell of dandelions but he and Nanny lived in Riverdale (the northern part of the Bronx) in an apartment by the river, and we'd visit them every Sunday. When the weather was nice, he and I would walk down to the river together and talk about poetry and he'd tell me stories of his childhood in Russia. The path we took had bazillions of dandelions there. In the spring/summer I'd pick a bunch and bring them back to Nanny and she'd act like I'd brought her a dozen red roses. IN THE BOTTLE: I don't make the identical association with sticking my face in the yellow dandelions and inhaling the first signs of spring/summer in New York City, but it does have a lovely, fresh and beautifully spicy golden-green scent. Dabbed on wrist and in crook of one arm ... WET: This smells absolutely divine. I'm still not sure I think of dandelions, at least not NYC dandelions, but I DO get the feeling of walking into a florist shop where the green stalks have just been cut and are lying on the floor, and the scent of an array of different lovely flowers all fill the air. This is one of my favorite scents and one that is hard to find ... it is one of the reasons that the long-gone Strength (Tarot) has been among my holy grail scents, because it also reminded me of a florist shop. I couldn't tell you right now if Wild Dandelion smells like Strength (or vice versa) but both evoke that imagery for me so it's all good. DRYDOWN: Spicy, delicious, sweet, fresh. Very un-perfume. But the funny thing is I never would have pegged it as a single note if I didn't know what it is. It is somehow complex and simple at the same time. I can't stop sniffing my wrist. It is one of the loveliest SNs I've ever smelled. Very very slightly soapy but I think that's just my word for "clean." OVERALL: It wasn't what I expected but it was just as good, in a different way. I really love this. And it will make a wonderful vacation scent as well. On a scale of 1-5, a definite 5.

Before I continue onto my review here, I want to thank Penance for HER review because it kept me from thinking I was going crazy. So, like many people, I had VILF on my wishlist based on an amazing list of notes, of which virtually every single one (except, sadly, leather) is on my "like" list. And while I know that won't always guarantee a winner, it certainly made it worth trying to find out. I happened to win a bottle on eBay but, a few days before it arrived, I was gifted with a half-imp from an amazingly awesome forumite with whom I had done a swap so it's from that bottle I tested (I am going to also test separately from my other bottle to see if there is any difference based on aging, etc.). So this is from the decanted imp and I'm not sure of the date. IN THE IMP: ALMOND? Absolutely almond. NOT what I was expecting. Almond and leather, medicinal leather, and plastic. (Will explain that below). Dabbed on one wrist and in the crook of one arm. WET: This is super-sweetness crossed with resinous sharpness. It's not candy-sweet but rather the sweetness of something like almond which is apparently not almond. There is also a definite "comfort scent" in it for me which I find in the medicinal resins. The leather is also predominant and I'm not a fan of leather. The over-riding note for me, though, is the "plastic" scent and I use that for lack of a better word. It's not necessarily a BAD scent. I think a lot of the vanilla-y notes have this for me ... it's more that it evokes the smell of new toys, either still in the box or just opened. DRYDOWN: Sweet. Resinous. A little too cloying for me. It's not super strong or in your face, not a lot of throw. But the combination of the plastic scent and the almondy-sweetness isn't a bad thing. It's like having a wrapped gift and a plate of cookies. It's like being the guest of honor at a 5-year-old's birthday party. It smells like dolls and a toybox and childhood. OVERALL: I'm on the bubble about this. I want to give it one more try, and decant an imp of my own from the full bottle before I decide whether to add this to my swap list. Given how popular and hard to find it is, I would only keep it if I find that I really, really love it. And I'm just not sure. I feel like I SHOULD love it but I'm not sure I do. On a scale of 1-5, right now about a 3. Gonna go apply some more for the rest of the day and then decide.

I had missed this whole release but had stumbled across the amazing Third Charm at Dark Delicacies this past January, with it almost immediately becoming one of my all-time BPAL favorites. I admit that Weenies overall have not been kind to me, though I feel like they SHOULD work for me ... but usually there will be some sort of deal-breaking note (apples, pumpkins, booze) that, even if only there in the tiniest amount, amps to ruination. In fact, by description, there were few scents I was more excited about than Samhain and it turned out to be my biggest heartbreaker. So this was one that I was torn on ... it sounded wonderful. The REVIEWS for the most part sounded wonderful. Yes, there were a few comps to Samhain, but mostly they sounded like something that would work for me, so when I saw a full bottle on eBay I tooks my chances. IN THE BOTTLE: Mysteriously both fresh and smoky at the very same time. An amazing and brilliant blend of the true outdoors that still had a resinous quality. Dabbed on one wrist and into the crook of one arm (test-drove another scent on the other arm ... see Vampires for that result) WET: There is something unbelievably FAMILIAR about this that I cannot for the life of me put my finger on, and which doesn't seem to be coming to me even after reading the listed notes. Though I see no fruit in the notes, it is still strongly "dark fruity" on me. Not in a terrible "wash it off" way but as if I stepped under a big dark green bough that also had berries on it. I get a deep green cologne that is a little medicinal (good) and a little boozy (not so good). But it's intriguing and interesting and unusual. ... It's like being NEAR a cabin in the woods but not IN it, near a campfire but not AROUND the campfire. DRYDOWN: This is where it loses me. The predominant drydown scent on me is booze. Apple wine or something. Fruity boozy wine the next day, when you have a sweet-wine hangover. And it's the same thing that lost me on Samhain though to a MUCH lesser degree (that was a wash off, this is just a "nah, I don't think I'd wear it again." OVERALL: I don't DISLIKE this but I wouldn't reach for the bottle again. I'll keep the imp I decanted it into and put the rest of the bottle on my swap list ... I think it's just too masculine, to cologne-y, too fruit-booze for me. I actually think I'd like it on someone else. If some guy was wearing it, I'd think he smelled really good. I just don't like it on me. Maybe I've had too many fruit-booze hangovers. On a scale of 1-5, about a 3 but not a keeper 3.

Ohhhhh I would ABSOLUTELY check out Nephilim and/or Nemesis!!! From the Diabolus category, here is the Lab description for Nephilim ... NEPHILIM: Dark children conceived from the union of Fallen Angels and the Daughters of Men. According to lore, the angel Shemhazai led a group of his angels to earth to instruct mankind in the ways of piety and righteousness. After a time, the angels became prey to earthly desires and began to lust after the daughters of man, and thus they fell. They instructed their mortal mates in the arts of conjuration, summoning, necromancy and other magickal arts. The fruits of their union are the Nephilim: possessed of superhuman strength, cunning, and infinite capacity, and hunger for, sin. Venerated as heroes by some, vilified by most, the Nephilim eventually annihilated one another in a cataclysmic civil war instigated by the angel Gabriel as punishment for their transgressions. Holy frankincense and hyssop in union with earthy fig, defiled by black patchouli and vetiver, with a chaotic infusion of lavender, cardamom, tamarind, rosemary, oakmoss and cypress. And here is a link to my review(s): Nummy num nummy figgy Nephilim And from the Excolo category, here is Lab description of Nemesis (I found that the fig gets more prominent as the oil ages but that could have been TOTALLY just my body chemistry ... it was absolutely the scent that turned me onto fig in all its BPAL glory) ... NEMESIS: The whip-wielding Goddess of Divine Retribution, Justice and Vengeance, and is the force that balances the scales of Tyche's fortune. She is also called Adrasteia, 'she whom none can escape', and Erinys, 'implacable'. Nemesis is the executrix of Olympian justice, and her primary duty is to punish hubris and mankind's offenses against the natural order with inflexible, remorseless and raging fury. Her symbols are a sword and scourge, a measuring rod and scales. Cypress, ginger, fig, dried rose, red patchouli, tonka bean and cyclamen.

I think someone may have recommended this earlier but I would look at White Rabbit ... Strong black tea and milk with white pepper, ginger, honey and vanilla, spilled over the crisp scent of clean linen. It doesn't work "for me" because I really am not a fan of tea scents or milk scents but, that said, based on what you're looking for, it might work really well. It's surprisingly light and fresh while still having the tea scent, fruitiness and sweetness. It's definitely not an "in your face" scent ...

Ohhhhhhhh yes. Nabbed an imp of this on eBay and wasn't sure what to expect ... I LOVE musks and ambers, especially BPAL's musks and ambers, and especially especially BPAL's musks and ambers blended together. But I'm not a big fan of anise, and lotus has a tendency to not only be stinky on me but to make everything else stinky on me too, even if it's only the faintest of notes. But indeed, Parrot_Suspect's comps of this to Scherezade and Old Demons, two of my Top 10 BPALs, gave me hope (and now I'm gonna have to go track down the other scents she mentioned, though I know Judgement is as hard to find as any of my precious Tarots -- I was lucky enough to have the lovely Carmencita decant me a sniffie at the last Meet-N-Sniff). Anyway ... IN THE IMP: Musk and amber. Amber and musk. Sinuous, sexy, grounded, calming. DEEEEEElicious. Just out of the shower after way too many hours cleaning out the laundry room, unpacking decades-old boxes and hosing down ant-ridden crap, I was definitely enthusiastic about application. Both wrists, both crooks of arm, cleavage. This better be good. WET: ... And indeed it is. And indeed, the first scent it reminds me of is Scherezade. This wonderful combination of incense and amber and musk and sweetness and clean, dry loveliness. On my wrists, it is just amber/musk. In the crook of my arm, though, I get something lightly minty which I actually think is the anise and it's WONDERFUL. If I didn't see the list of notes, I would have thought there might be lavender in this. DRYDOWN: Just fantastic. A true dream BPAL scent. It's very true to the imp/wet scent as it dries, clean and lovely and uplifting and peaceful. It's such a comfort scent. On a scale of 1-5, an easy 5. OVERALL: Divine. Delicious. Depressing because I only have a partial imp. Bumping this up high on my DISO now.

I was very excited about this scent and did due diligence to finally get my hands on some (after being sniped at the last second on eBay and then waiting awhile on purchase because seller kinda forgot LOL I think!) ... Anyway ... sigh ... IN THE IMP: Not getting marshmallow -- burnt or otherwise -- OR the cinnamon people complained about (I love cinnamon so I figured that if that was what it ended up smelling like I'd be good with that too!). Instead, it just smells like butterscotch. And I hate that. Applied to wrist and into crook of arm. WET: Yup. Just pure butterscotch/caramel. VERY buttery. A tiny bit of fruity/boozy kick to it. It smells absolutely nothing like what most people told me it would smell like (EITHER version of what most people said it would smell like). DRYDOWN: A bad combination for me of being both too sweet-sweet-sweet-buttery-butterscotch and being STRONG so that the throw is constantly in my face. OVERALL: All I wanted was burnt marshmallows or cinnamon. Sad face. Off to the swap pile with you, little Gorobble. On a scale of 1-5, about a 2.

Received this in a swap and was intrigued by the "Clairol Herbal Essence" original comps, since that is one of my "holy grail" scents. IN THE IMP: Very green and herbal but not getting CHE. More like Karme to me, though there are apparently no veggies listed among the notes! Then the floral component wafts up to my nose to chase the veggies ... and something slightly alcoholic like wine! Already very complex and I haven't even applied it yet! Applied to wrist and into crook of arm. WET: Herbal, astringent and still heavy on the vegetables. Still astringent (that is not a bad thing for me). It's very light, for all of the notes listed, and fresh as well yet at the same time it's quite sophisticated and smells like a high-end perfume. It makes me keep sniffing a lot. DRYDOWN: The drydown scent stays very true to the wet scent, which was true to the imp sniff. The throw from my wrist disappears within an hour. The crook of my arm just smells very very clean. I don't get Clairol Herbal Essence but I do get some sort of herbal shampoo. OVERALL: I like this a lot. I don't love love love it, would not make it a signature scent, but I think it would be a great scent to put on in the heat of summer, which is just arriving here now, for it's fresh green feel and lovely light drydown. On a scale of 1-5, a 3.7.

While looking over all of the "unimpable" GCs (and trying, slowly, to work my way through the vast amount of LEs) as I put together a comprehensive wishlist, I was really intrigued by this ... both by the notes listed and the paragraph itself (I've never read Gaiman -- please don't blackball me from BPAL -- but I am absolutely going to read Good Omens now!!!) I had this on my "I want to try" list -- knowing that it could go either way depending on what amped, wasn't ready to commit to a bottle -- and a wonderful forumite with whom I swapped added an imp of this for me! IN THE IMP: Honeyed vanilla sweetness coupled with pepper pepper pepper! So very interesting! Applied to my wrist and into the crook of my arm. WET: The ginger, which I hadn't noticed in the imp, is at least noticeable once it hits my skin but it's by no means a predominant note (which saddens me because I LOVE ginger). The vanilla amps a lot (NOT a good thing on me usually) but the pepper completely morphs the vanilla-honey-ginger sweetness when it's wet. The perfect amount of gardenia adds the lush bloom and the orange, usually something that I don't like, brightens it as well! (Between this and Jabberwocky I may have to loosen my staunch restriction on orange notes). And best of all, I get NOTHING from the rose. DRYDOWN: This dries down significantly differently between my wrist and the crook of my arm, at first at least. Sadly, it's just way too plastic-sweet from the vanilla, and that is the aspect of the scent that has the most throw directly to my nose. Inescapable. It's also, very oddly, slightly masculine to me ... like a vanilla fougere. In the crook of my arm, the drydown is more pleasant, as the orange gives it a freshness that helps add bite to the sweetness. And while the crook remains more pleasant than the wrist, in the long run, it's just too sweet for me to choose to wear. OVERALL: I love the complexity of this and the creativity and I can't wait to read the book. But I think the imp will return to the swapworld where someone else can love it more than I will. On a scale of 1-5, a 3.