JazzieCazzie

Ecstatic to have received this as an extra in a swap from one of the world's greatest forumites! Off my wish list! IN THE IMP: Oh, shazam! The benzoin (which I adore) is prominent, as are the oudh and olibanum. This is a good thing. Dabbed on wrist and in crook of arm. WET: Yowza yes yes yes. Very resiny and woody and evocative of headshops and haunts of my youth. I don't recognize turmeric in here (and I tend to cook with it) but perhaps the images I get of Indian tapestries are subliminal from that. MINIMAL rosewood, thankfully, though rosewood tends to work more nicely with me than rose per se. And NO currant, which is also good because that has ruined many a blend for me in the past. DRYDOWN: Slightly different on my wrist and in the crook of my arm, but both are divine and delicious. Spicy and resiny and peaceful. OVERALL: I am definitely on the lookout for more of this now. A definite keeper! On a scale of 1-5, a 4.5

I was VERY excited about this and had it high on my wish list after reading the reviews. I <3 cinnamon and usually play very nicely with musk. After missing out on a bottle on eBay (dodged a bullet, it turns out), I was gifted with an imp from a WONDERFUL forum friend in a swap. IN THE IMP: Interesting, unusual and intriguing. Not actually getting what I tend to associate with either cinnamon or musk from the imp but I like what I smell. Dabbed on wrist and in crook of arm ... WET: My first reaction when it hits my wrist is "oh yes!" The cinnamon amps immediately. Then I smell what's coming from the crook of my arm and think ... "oh no." At first, it's just mildly "funky," the way myrrh tends to dry down in my arm crook, and I wonder if there's myrrh in here. But it's still WET and smells like that. Then, even my wrist takes on that same scent ... the cinnamon disappears. I don't get musk. I don't even get lemons ... What I get is ... sweat. Stinky sweat. Apparently DahliaHayashi have similar chemistry. DRYDOWN: Nothing but funky, stinky sweat. WHYYYYYYYYY????? OVERALL: Not surprisingly, this is going into the swap pile. I am very sad and disappointed in my stupid body chemistry. On a scale of 1-5, a 1.

Received as an extra giftie imp in a swap and ... how did I not buy this when it was available? I'm guessing that at the time there were notes that I NOW know I love but didn't know then ... *sob* ... IN THE IMP: Oh my dog, hello there champaca. Come to mama. Dabbed on one wrist and in the crook of arm, as I'm double-testing with Dragon's Milk on the other. WET: Oh this is good. This is very very very good. I am getting mostly champaca and amber upon application (two of my favorite notes). I get a tiny bit of rose but not enough to be a note of doom. While wet, not getting any bergamot or balsam. DRYDOWN: This. Is. Fantastic. The bergamot rises just enough to give it a tiny fruity twist. The rose plays nicely as well. Those were my two notes of concern, ones that can often be killers for me. This is an absolutely fascinating and compelling scent on me. Resiny and smoky and delicious, with that tiny bit of fruit and floral. OVERALL: Though the scents are not necessarily similar, the two blends this brings to mind for me are Nemesis and Nephilim, two big favorites. I <3 this and it definitely is going on my wish list now, at the very least for more imps if not a bottle. Now if I can just FIND it. On a scale of 1-5, a 4.8

Got this as a generous extra in a swap, off my wish list. IN THE IMP: How do I put this ... it smells like a creamy barn. Pungent and fruity. Dabbed on wrist and in crook of my arm. WET: Glad to see, by other reviews, I was not plum-crazy by noting that it's really nutty. To me, it smells sort of like a musty antique mall stall ... DRYDOWN: It's just not something I want to smell like. Not getting ANY of the amber or frankincense. Interesting to see the Enyalios comps since I LOVE LOVE LOVE that one (review coming soon). OVERALL: Just doesn't do it for me. Not sure which notes were the notes of doom. On a scale of 1-5, a 2.

Not sure what year's version this is, but got as a generous extra in a swap because it was on my wish list! IN THE IMP: Sadly, just kind of drugstore perfume to me. Dabbed on wrist and in crook of arm. WET: For me, just a slightly fruity drugstore perfume. More generic on my wrist. In the crook of my arm, slightly more complex. DRYDOWN: Yeah, just doesn't work for me. Generic and unmemorable but, sadly, with massive legs. I still smelled like this 12 hours later. I'm guessing the red currant was the dominant fruity scent that took over on me. OVERALL: I think people will like it enough, nothing offensive about it. On a scale of 1-5, a 2

I wasn't sure what I expected here but I figured if I got some of the rumored ginger ale it would be enough for me, even if it could be so much more. IN THE BOTTLE: Very lemon-limey. Not ginger ale yet but that's a good sign. And they're not even listed in the notes! Dabbed on wrist and in crook of arm WET: Very very very very sweet. Like liqueur or nectar sweet without being alchoholic. Not really foody but with food-related notes. But the ginger gives it a fizz, predominantly, on me at least, amping the vanilla to be soda-ish. DRYDOWN: In the end, I think this just ends up with a little too much of that French Vanilla for it to really work for me. I think Vanilla lovers should adore this sweet scent and that it would be a light enough and lovely scent to give little girls who may be fans of the Nutcracker. OVERALL: Sadly, it's swapsies for me. On a scale of 1-5 a 3.

First of all, it may be gauche to reference a prior review, but I have to give a shoutout to Paperrose for referencing the Moxy Fruvous song "The Incredible Medicine Show" because I also thought of that when I found this blend (my dog's name is Moxy Fruvous). IN THE IMP: Very resiny, mysterious and evocative. Dabbed on wrist and in crook of arm. WET: This packs a punch in a very good way. I find the name to be really apt because it somehow evokes old-timey images, especially that of one of those old pharmacies you see in movies, with tobacco and drugs and maybe an ice cream parlor too. It' s just a pharmacy of nummy. Very old wild west. DRYDOWN: It has a super-simple drydown and not a lot of throw or a lot of legs. I'd say there are some food notes in the drydown but more perfume than food. OVERALL: I like this more when it's wet than when it's dry but I like it a lot. On a scale of 1-5, a 3.8. 4+ when wet.

This was a scent that, based on notes, I was absolutely dying to try but, based on reviews, I was afraid to get a bottle. So I was ecstatic (no pun intended) to be able to get an imp in a swap. IN THE IMP: Ambery spicy resin with a touch of sweetness. Exactly what I would have hoped for. Dabbed on wrist and in crook of arm. WET: Actually, once on, the honey amps right to the forefront almost immediately (which honey tends to do on me). And ... it's nummmmmy. DRYDOWN: Ambery resinous hypnotic honey. OVERALL: In the end, this turned out to be what I'd hoped for rather than what I'd feared. So I will continue to look for a full bottle. On a scale of 1-5, a 4.2

IN THE BOTTLE: Sweet and clean and a little aquatic. Dabbed on wrist and in crook of arm. WET: Quite lovely, actually. The floral element is mild and slightly unusual, perhaps because of the honey. Then, after about 30 seconds on my skin, the honey starts to amp and becomes quite spicy. DRYDOWN: This turns into a really neat, slightly woody, light scent. OVERALL: I probably wouldn't go through an entire bottle, so if I see people looking for it on their wish list would part with imps in swaps I think, but it's definitely a keeper for occasional use. JUST a little too sweet to be a regular scent. On a scale of 1-5, about a 3.7.

Managed to nab imps of Dream and Sleep in the same wonderful swap ... IN THE IMP: Lavender lavender lavender. Yay. Dabbed on wrist and in crook of arm. WET: OMG. I am reading my notes and they make no sense at all. This apparently knocked me on my ass and I babbled like a sleepy idiot. Here is what I wrote (I guess, if nothing else, proof that this really DOES put you to sleep): "This is more of a scent with a plan (note: I am comparing it to Dream which I wrote notes on first and they were coherent). It's busier, more like it has a purpose. More of a baby scent that needs to put it down. And scent its room and wash its scars." Well, all righty then. I could, arguably, retest this and make it coherent and I will probably do that in the future but for now, perhaps, this will make sense to someone and show that SLEEP WORKS. So, tentative score: On a scale of 1-5, for purpose alone, a 5.

Got an imp in a swap ... IN THE IMP: A sweet, floral lavender rather than a straight-on lavender. Dabbed on wrist and in crook of arm. WET: I am calling this a "sweet" lavender but that's not to be confused with, say, TKO which to me is vanilla crossed with lavender (like Lush's Twilight) ... more like a sweet flower blended with lavender. DRYDOWN: It stays a true sweet lavender, very light and airy and, I guess, powdery as some people have mentioned. But to me, at least, it doesn't really get cloying or nauseating. OVERALL: I like this a lot and have popped the imp into my bedtime box for sleep aid. I wouldn't buy a full bottle simply because I have other lavender blends I like better -- the ones that are more herbal or true lavender without the sweetness. But it's not a swapper either. On a scale of 1-5, about a 4.

This was high on my wish list and I lucked into not one but TWO bottles, via swap and eBay. So yay! IN THE BOTTLE: Elegant, fresh and gender neutral. Definitely what I'd call a resiny incense scent but an outdoorsy one. Dabbed on wrist and in crook of arm. WET: Wow. I get many more images and words from the scent of this than I do actual descriptive notes, so I apologize in advance. I find it, oddly, slightly fruity. Also very clean, sort of Dial soap-scented (which I really like the smell of). Also, somehow, a slightly sweet cocoa scent though I don't see that anywhere in the blend. Overall I'd call it a very clean resiny-incense. DRYDOWN: Fruity, but not in a bad way (and for me, most fruity is bad). More like a deep dark fruit, the kinds I like. Also soapy but, again, not in a bad way. It's really pleasant and lovely. OVERALL: Not enough incense/amber in the drydown for me to keep both 5 MLs but definitely enough to keep one. On a scale of 1-5, about a 4.

Was able to get an imp of this AND Cake Smash v6 together and test drove the two together in search of the perfect cakey-ness ... IN THE BOTTLE: Wow. Very complicated and I'm getting an array of notes from the imp. First I think caramel frosting but then I also get spicy poundcake. Dabbed on wrist and in crook of arm. WET: Definitely getting a caramel/burnt sugar note VERY strong on my skin. It's not a washoff, though, because of the big background sweet spice note. I would never have placed it as ginger or gingerbread without other reviews, I admit, but I can see that might be it. DRYDOWN: I find this to be sweet on my wrist but creamier in the crook of my arm. OVERALL: Like, don't love. Caramel, which I love to EAT, is not a good note for me. And it amps a LOT. On a scale of 1-5, about a 2.5.

A scent I put on my short list based on notes and reviews here and was able to pick up on Etsy. I confess straight out that it is the rare BPAL lavender blend that I DON'T love (I'm in the small group of folks that doesn't adore TKO because it's too sweet for me, and not a big fan of Oneroi -- bubble gum -- or Nanshe -- dishwater -- but pretty much every other one? Bingo). IN THE BOTTLE: Lavender lavender lavender and herbs. Not too sweet. Dabbed on wrists and in crook of arms. WET: The lavender amps all over the place the nanosecond it touches my skin. It's a super-strong scent but in a good way. I'm not sure which of the other blends it reminds me of but I want to say Temple of Dreams (I'm not sure my nose is quite attuned enough to be sure) ... I'm in the minority of people who think this could have been a proto for a Somnium scent rather than a Panacea but what do I know? DRYDOWN: Nice long legs, lavender with a slightly sweetish herbal drydown. OVERALL: If this isn't a Somnium prototype, it should be. This imp (I always decant an imp out of my bottle for testing and easier application) goes RIGHT into my Flentz box ... yes, I use the earplugs case for all of my BPAL lavender-y imps pre-bed. On a scale of 1-5, a 4.8.

After spending a wonderful night reading just about every review/description in this folder and on this board to make up my wishlist, Fenris Wolf v2 went to my very short list thanks to the comments about "cola" and the comps to my precious Schwarzer Mond. So when I saw a bottle on Etsy I HAD to buy it. What a very smart decision!!! IN THE BOTTLE: Oh yeah, baby. Sexy cola. Come to mama. Dabbed pretty generously on both wrists and in crooks of arm. And yes, I may have put some in the cleavage. WET: Oooooooowwwwwwwwwoooooooo. What does the wolf say? Resiny. Delicious. COLA COLA COLA. In case you hadn't guessed, I love the cola scent (which I THINK is opoponax but not sure). This is just the perfectest of perfect blends when wet ... so how will it dry? I know that sometimes this wet scent can dry just a tad TOO masculine for me. DRYDOWN: Just delish. Perfect perfect perfect. I can see why it would probably be classified as a "guy scent" but it is just divine on this girl. It just makes me think of deep, dark secrets. I cannot stop sniffing myself when I wear it. OVERALL: Um, yeah, I like it ... I do remember the released version of Fenris Wolf, which I liked a lot (I MAY be wrong but for some reason I think I may have sent mine to Lycanthrope or a newbie who loved this kind of blend). I can't recall exactly how they differed, but whatever the case may be, I can't imagine a more perfect blend for ME than this one. SO grateful to have gotten my hands on one. On a scale of 1-5, a definite 5.

Was able to pick up two cakey-yummy-HTF imps, this and PPGC, and test drove them on separate arms. This won the day big-time for me! IN THE IMP: Sweet and rich and creamy. I don't actually get the chocolate of red velvet, just a generally numminess. Dabbed on wrist and in crook of arm. WET: Num num num num. Not very descriptive, I suppose. But in my quest for the perfect (not too plasticy) cake blend, this is cupcake perfection to me. DRYDOWN: Stays lightly sweet and delicious, foody but not perfumey, and not TOO sweet. Just. Right. I honestly don't think "cream cheese frosting" but I think I would associate that with being more pungent and this is not pungent. It's just ... freshly baked cake from my oven. OVERALL: An absolute delicious keeper. I wish I had more. No plastic, no caramel, no play-doh. Whatever is in it, it works really well with my picky body chemistry. On a scale of 1-5, a 4.2

I gobbled this one up because a) I find many of the blends I like include Olibanum though I had no idea what it was and when I looked it up, it was a form of frankincense which is one of my biggest notes of win! IN THE BOTTLE: As Shirei noted, this is unbelievably thick and syrupy in its consistency, something I almost never see except when it's a SUPER aged blend and then usually in a resin (Penitence and Ahathoor come to mind). The main hit I get is resin but there's something unusual about it, which makes me think of construction sites or something. Not bad, just unusual. Dabbed on wrist and in crook of arm. WET: It's resiny, ever-so-slightly metallic, and very sharp and clean. I think in another thread from a Will Call, perhaps, someone noted camphor and that could be it. Oddly, I don't get "frankincense" at all on this. More of some sort of slight floral/herb blend. DRYDOWN: I still can't put my finger on notes, probably because it IS a note, but it's massively evocative of something from my childhood involved with school. It could be the cleaning solution (though I'm not calling it soapy or icky-cleaning, more ... industrial). Or if it's indeed a resin, it could be because the nursery school I went to was in the basement of an Orthodox synagogue. OVERALL: I like this a lot but would not wear it alone as a single note. I think it would be a great note to layer with other blends and that's what I plan to do with it. On a scale of 1-5, a 4.

Received an imp in the decantapalooza. Disclaimer that I never tried the original Miss Forcible so I'm not sure how the "others" differ. I do like musk ... But, sadly, I am definitely in the minority on this one. IN THE IMP: Not getting sweet or musky or anything good. Smell's like an old lady's house, very salty and stuffy and musty instead of musky. Dabbed cautiously on one wrist. WET: No. Just ... no. Exactly how it smelled in the bottle but stronger. Salty, stuffy. Old lady's closet that hasn't been aired out in 10 years. To my nose, on my skin, the polar opposite of "sticky sweet." DRYDOWN: Still old lady. No other way for me to describe it. It makes my nose wrinkle. OVERALL: Sad face. Into the swap pile for someone who will love it. On a scale of 1-5, my rare 1.

From the decantapalooza update: And my thoughts definitely echo and reflect many/most of the posts before me. IN THE IMP: MOSTLY Bliss-like pure-a$$ chocolate (as opposed to what I consider the cocoa note, which I also love) but there is something almost ineffable behind it that I suspect I'll come closer to figuring out once it's on my skin. Applied to both wrists. WET: Very Blissy. Very chocolate-y. And something else lurking and waiting to dry down on me ... I also thought a little like Velvet but more like Tezcatlipoca. DRYDOWN: I am thinking, now, that that secondary note is whatever the "marshmallow" scent is but it's subtle. It just makes it sweeter ... for me, it's not so much like hot chocolate with marshmallows as it is a hard chocolate candy, where inside it's pure chocolate but the outside has a sweeter hard sugary shell. OVERALL: I like this a lot. It's not an everyday scent because it's so sweet but it's a keeper imp, for sure. I expected it to be a little more like Sue's Great Old Puppet Show but this is chocolate-ier for me. On a scale of 1-5, about a 3.9.

Vanilla, saffron, and cream. Had been on the lookout for an imp of this -- wasn't ready to commit to a bottle -- since reading the "cream soda" comps and snagged a small lot in which it was included on eBay. Obviously it was VERY well aged. The label shows it was decanted by "Calixnoir." I won't say I had really high hopes, despite my desire to try it ... I know that cream tends to go horribly wrong on me and vanilla can go either way. IN THE IMP: Oh bad cream. Milk Moon-ishly sour. But there's also another component that rises behind it which is familiar, really familiar, but to my early-morning brain I can't quite make the connection. Dabbed on my wrist and in the crook of my arm ... I often get different notes amping and even different drydowns there. WET: The sour note that was so prevalent in the bottle calms down immediately upon application and at first it's just sweet vanilla, but then there's that familiar kick again ... and to me, it's not mint at all (mint is another note that goes HORRIBLE on me), it's sassafras and I smell like a root beer float. That is a good thing. DRYDOWN: As it dries, the saffron-lovely-saffron rises and adds a middle-eastern medicinal note to the sweet root beer. It reminds me a LOT of my beloved Scherezade. The scents are markedly different on my wrist -- where it stays sweet and cream soda-y, and in the crook of my arm where it is full-on medicinal root beer float. That latter scent is FABBBBBBOOOOOOO. OVERALL: I would try to find a big bottle except that there are clearly different "versions" out there and I wouldn't want to commit unless I knew I was getting that "medicinal root beer note" version. I'd sum this up, in the crook of my arm, as root-beer-scented Scherezade. On a scale of 1-5, about a 3 on my wrist but a 5 in the crook of my arm. From here on in, I'll just apply it on the sweaty points.

Acquired a sought-after partial in a swap. IN THE IMP: Sweet and spicy as expected. I'd say more cake/frosting than cupcakes per se but that's totally subjective. Dabbed on wrist and in crook of arm. WET: I'm getting something I associate with "nutty" in the top mix here ... it could actually be buttery or even burnt sugar. I don't want to go as far as to say caramel because it recedes pretty quickly. But I am getting that aspect of the sweetness -- buttercream frosting, I guess -- than the cake. And I'm not really getting a cheesecake vibe. DRYDOWN: This is very mild and sweet. I like it. It goes sort of syrupy as it dries. I never actually get a cheesecake smell from it per se, to my nose. It makes me think "Halloweenie" scent. OVERALL: I am glad I got this and I like it and will use up the imp but I wouldn't buy a big bottle because it's just not something I could see wearing much. I think I would like it more in a body scrub or bath oil. On a scale of 1-5, a 3.

Received as an extra imp in a swap. For this I am forever grateful. I would never have ordered it based on description or without notes. IN THE IMP: The first "note" that hits me is that ineffable "medicinal" scent which is one of my favorite BPAL scents even if I'm not 100% sure what it is. Dabbed on wrist and in crook of arm. WET: This is awesomeness in a bottle. Medicinal yet also spicy hot cinnamon. I am not getting the "nutty" others have mentioned at all. And I'm not really reading it as earthy either. More like cinnamon crossed with some sort of resin or wood ... I keep wanting to say there is frankincense in here but my nose may be deceiving me ... maybe amber? DRYDOWN: The amazing wet scent simply gets better and better as it dries. I am physically unable to stop huffing my arm and am very glad I'm in the privacy of my home office because I'd look like a loon if I were in public. OVERALL: I am eternally grateful for having been gifted with it and it has immediately gone on my big bottle WAAAAANTTTT list. On a scale of 1-5, a rare 5

Received an imp of this as an extra in a swap. It is not something I EVER would have picked out for myself to order because I don't wear booze well. IN THE IMP: Sweet, warm almonds with a spicy kick. NO trace of rum for me on first sniff. At first I think it may be toooo almondy-sweet to try but it is so interesting I forge on. Dabbed on wrist. I don't have the guts to go for the crook of my arm. WET: Verrrrrrrrrrrry cinnamony. Like red hots. It's shockingly ... absolutely nummy!!! DRYDOWN: This gets even better on the drydown. The clove and cinnamon is just awesome on me. It makes me want to dance around to "Cravo e Canela" (a Brazilian song that translates as "Clove and Cinnamon"). NO booze. NO aquatic. Wow. OVERALL: I am ecstatic. An absolute keeper. <3 On a scale of 1-5, a 4.6

Received as a decant in a swap. IN THE IMP: It's too "busy" for me to define any of the notes in this from the sniff but it is interesting. Dabbed on wrist cautiously. WET: Sadly, WAY too much wine amps on me right away and makes me queasy from the get-go. Funny how much I LOVE to drink it, but just can't wear it. DRYDOWN: I can't get to it. The winey winey wine makes it a washoff. ON a scale of 1-5, a 1.

Got six testers from the stocking series in a lot on eBay. IN THE IMP: Deep cocoa. A very rich dark chocolate. Dabbed on wrist. WET: Strong chocolate, maybe semi-sweet, with a boozy component. I generally LOVE BPAL chocolate scents but boozy notes don't work on me. DRYDOWN: I really liked the chocolate but for some reason, once dry, it went very soapy on me. I have no idea what note in here did that because I'm not that familiar with what comprises the blend of red velvet cake, but whatever it was ruined it for me. OVERALL: I don't really get "cream cheese frosting" or anything here. I'm not really sure what it is on drydown. It's ... odd. It's not what I expected. It's not terrible or anything, it just doesn't seem to work for me. On a scale of 1-5, a 2.