empi girl

Imagine putting your nose next to the thickest part of a rose stem. Inhale deeply. Smell the green, leafy smell. The slight bitterness of the stalk. The far off scent of the rose waving above. Cinnamon is sprinked on the ground, enough to be spicy, but not enough to be detected as cinnamon. That's Harlot on me. The green part of the stalk, a hint of rose, a breath of cinnamon (that doesn't smell like cinnamon, just must be, since it says it is). It is consistent and stays true, and I don't really like it. But I liked that I got to try it. Edited because I couldn't spell.

In long-ago Arabia, harem girls rubbed an herbal poultice formed from a blend of sensual, luxuriant herbs and oils onto their bodies to prepare themselves for the Sultan’s pleasure. This lush, indulgent perfume is based on that ancient formula. Sweet almond and Mysor sandalwood enveloped by a heady veil of Bulgarian Rose, neroli, nutmeg, clove and orange peel. Almondy and musky...yummy. Fades into a gently perfumy scent, with no trace of almond. Very nice, feminine and lovely. Perhaps not a keeper, since I'd like the almond to stick around longer. But very nice all the same.

I had high hopes for this one. Unfortunately, it did not like me at all. My experience: First on, the most delicious fruity sweet scent. Gone in an instant. Replaced by a powdery orange smell, like an orange Tums. Gone in 2 instants. Replaced by the scent of Robitussin. And this stage lasts a long time. Even 1 hour later, when I sniff the wrist and I get a orange-violet pastille scent, the robitussin wafts slightly. I don't know what the note is that hates me, but it does. This is going to swaps, and I hope it finds a happier home!

Very much like Snake Oil, but lighter on the vanilla. I don't really ever get the plum or coconut. Amber definitly is in there, and becomes the base on me, since the vanilla fades to the background fairly quickly. The Snake Oil spices remain strong, but not as overpowering as in Snake Oil itself. After several hours a whisper of vanilla returns, when I sniff my wrist closely. This has good staying power, is very nice, I like it, but I am not in love with it (just like Snake Oil for me, actually). I know that I would wear the Lion before this, as my warm, spicy, amber-y fragrance.

I've been trying to figure out what to write about this one. When I first tried it, I wasn't too sold...it was nice, but... I have since worn it several times, and this is what I think: Soft vanilla with an odd note-perhaps coconut. Not so much that I'd call it plasticy, just something not vnailla or coconut. It seems minty/cool without actually being minty. Strange, nice, but... Then it becomes very perfumy, sort of a soft musky scent that has a sharpness and throw to it that I associate with musk and white florals. But not jasmine. And then this ends, and it becomes a lovely vanilla. Really pretty, soft, vanilla that lasts. And I like this stage a lot! So, the jury is out on if I love it or just like it. It's hard to say at this point, guess I'll have to try it more to find out! edit: It has now become a favorite, in my top 7. I can wear this anytime. Definite keeper, I'm glad I got the 5 ml right off the bat, and held onto it!

I do the following: 1) hold wrist against bottle and tip, then lightly touch wrists together 2) press finger against bottle, tilt, brush neck with fingertip, and hair ends with last of the oil. Voila, me scented with BPAL.

Queen Mab is really nice, a surprise with the night-blooming jasmine in it (it leads me to think maybe I can wear night-blooming varieties, just not straight up "jasmine"). It is light, clean, faintly aquatic and faintly grassy, with a hint of fruit and flowers. Not overly sweet, not astringent. I never get the rose, I never get a strong "floral" scent, I don't get a lot of musk, just a perfect scent for spring and summer. Looking at others reviews, this one is all over the map for people. I can say I would never have tried it, due to jasmine, and I'm glad I got a frimp, as I might just get a big bottle come spring.

frimp from lab, and one I would never order, due to dragon's blood being a main component. Starts off badly for me, heavy, bitter, dark, just-turning-floral with a leather edge that actually softens the dragon's blood. Stays this way for 90 minutes, and then it has actually morphed into a very pretty scent, warm, sweetly floral, slightly fruity, not heavy at all. If it weren't for the 90 minute wait, I'd keep it. And am I ever surprised that I ended up liking it!

Rage sure sums it up, a black and burning rage. I can tell the Dragon's blood is in here. For me, that means it is heavy, dark, bitter-spicy, beginning-to-turn floral, not-goodness. No sweetness, no fruitiness, and I can't tell you how it developed, because within 10 minutes, I had to wash it off. If you like Dragon's Blood, you'll like this. If it doesn't agree with you, I don't think this is a blend to try. I will be swapping my imp.

Add me to the Soap club! It's a dissapointment, as I was hoping I'd get violets, as some others do. In the imp, I do catch a very faint waft of violets, before a sharp, soapy smell takes over. On me, it is the sharp smell of lathered soap. No sweetness, powderyness, violets or anything. Just Soap. I don't even associate it with being a nice, "clean" smell, because the soapiness is too harsh (which could be an ozone element, as they don't like me much). Anyway, I will be swapping or selling this for sure!

I have to agree with Kakiphony, some of the cherry blends do turn medicinal-like Red Queen, which hated me too! Some cherries scents that don't are Hollywood Babylon (a really good rec), and also Tamora, which is a sweet, vanilla cherry (via heliotrope) with a hint of peach. Kabuki also has a nice cherry in it, but some people don't like the anise note. And of course, it always comes down to chemistry, doesn't it!

And I agree! I think it's a great scent. And, since your mom likes eucalyptus, it does have a huge initial blast of Eucalyptus, that settles down into this beautiful softly sweet and light scent. I find golden priapus to be vanilla and wood, not green in the least. I think Dublin is very green. Also, even though it says white rose, I've never noticed it in there.

I loved the Red Queen when wet. For the first 10 minutes she was a lush, sweet juicy cherry...and then developed into a used pee-and-desitin diaper bin...So very sad! It did mellow out from the diaper stage, but retained a medicinal edge to it. Not a keeper. ETA: I don't like saying a BPAL smells like a diaper, but this one did.

Just got this in the mail today from Whippoorwill. Thanks! I've wanted to try this from the start, since I love the idea of a perfume named after Penny Dreadfuls! And I am happy to say it is a keeper! Wet, it is earth and gingerbread, and then as it dries the scents merge with a soft "perfume" (sorry, can't do better than that!). A little powdery perfume. The ginger becomes real ginger spice, like you'd smell in the spice aisle, and the whole thing is this wonderful warm, earthy, gingery softly perfumy (without the headachy "perfumy-ness") smell. Perhaps it is a musk that is making it all perfumy. Not white musk though, or red. I could see a little dark musk in here perhaps. Anyway, it is a beautiful scent, and one I will have to get a bottle of. Very good for fall, winter.

On me, this is ozone, green grass and citrus initially. When it dries, it develops a burnt rubber note under the grass that I didn't like. This note eventually fades, and hours later it is a light, pleasant, grassy ozone. A little masculine, I think, up until the ending. Overall, I didn't really care for this, and won't be keeping it.

In the vial, I can smell freshly cut granny smith apples, and caramel. On, it is a juicy caramel apple, yummy and sweet, and reminds me that I love them, and that it is almost time for them to appear! It softens quickly on me and loses it's crispness, and within an hour fades to a faint sweet scent on the wrist that, if one were thinking of apples, one might be able to discern them. For that reason, I am sure I won't get a big bottle, but I may keep the imp.

I can't believe I haven't reviewed this (totally thought I had!). Anyway, I've sniffed trying to detect that root beer thing, and I do not get it. I get the most wonderful rich vanilla with cedar lying softlly beneath. It isn't super sweet, it isn't really masculine, it is a gorgeous deep woody vanilla, and when I tried it a few months ago, I liked it but wasn't sure about it. Now I love it, and will get a big bottle before fall/winter hit, since it is that kind of scent.

Bright citrus, powder, musk, spices. Mix those all together and you have Haunted on me. The citrus and powder waft, the spice stays close to the skin, the musk lends warmth and a slight fuzzy softness. Eventually the citrus fades to just a slight note underneath everything else. It remains very powdery. Completely not what I was expecting, so the jury is out. I could see this being one I develop a love for, and want a big bottle of for winter (seems a warming and possibly comforting scent, even if it is in Funereal Oils!), or I could see this as one I decide to swap. ETA: Ok, I've decided, this is not a scent for me. It reminds me of lemon gummy worms and amber scented dusting powder, together. Too much powdery sweetness. I will stick to the Lion for my spicy amber fix!

I got a chance to try this recently (thanks!), and it is exactly as described. I get a sweet musky incense with a hint of candle smoke in the background. It is very much a "perfume", and exudes that sense of mystery, shadows and intimacy that a Gypsy Queen would. That said, I don't think it is really a "me" scent. It is lovely, heady, voluptuous, but there is a nose-tickler in there also, and I know I would not reach for this often. I may keep my imp, or I may pass it on to someone else. I do think if you like Scherezade, Bastet or Sacred Whore, there is a good chance you would like this too.

On, very sweet and buttery pumpkin (pumpkin candle), with soft spice in the background. The apricot made itself known for an instant and then bowed out for the pumpkin. It is actually a very nice scent, but perhaps a little sweet for me. It stays this buttery pumpkin spice for 1-2 hours, and then changes into a earthen scent. I seem to get this earthen scent in the drydown of several blends, so I think it is a specific note that doesn't agree with me. I will have to figure it out! Anyway, overall, the scent is a little too sweet and foody for me, and I don't like the dirt note at the end when I'm not wanting to wear a dirt-like scent. So it goes to swaps!

Got this recently in a swap, which made me happy as it is hard to come by and one I've been wanting to try for a while. On, wet: Very strong, dry wood. Cedar is definitly there as well as something incense-spicy, and a sweetness underlying it all. At this stage, it is a little too much for me, but it gets a little softer as it dries. On, dry: sweet, spicy, a hint of cedar underneath but not in any way overpowering on me. In fact, to me, it smells very similar to Sin... So I did a comparison on my two wrists, and on me, they could be sisters (not twins). They each have a similar warmth and resinous sweetness, but with cinnamon underlying one and cedar the other. The Sin is just a tad sweeter, but not much. Anne Bonny also has good staying power, as I could clearly smell it 7+ hours after applied. I have ended up really liking Anne Bonny, but I think I won't be getting a bottle, since I prefer Sin, and to me they are very similar. But I will keep my imp!

Intense Ozone. On me, it is very sharp, faintly citrusy, and very cologne-like. There is something in the ozone note that affects my head, and I don't like it, unfortunately. I was hoping to get some of the wood notes, or saltiness, or resin, but no. It stays the same from start to drydown, and has good staying power. Eventually the sharpness became too much for me and I had to rinse it off (it took 3 tries). If I liked ozone scents, I think I would like this a lot. But it is not for me.

The ones that have screamed cinnamon candy red-hots on me are Hamadryad and Eclipse. Chimera was like heavy creamy-foody-honey-cinnamon. More like a baked good than a candy.

Wet, this smells like ALMOND, with cherry added in. Then the almond almost dissapears, the cherry does dissapear, and the cinnamon makes it's presence known. Smells like cinnamon red-hots, with the barest touch of almond in the backgroung, barely there but lending a slight sweetness. This was interesting to try, but not a keeper. There are other cinnamon blends I like more, plus, most important, this really irritates my sinuses and I had to go wash it off.

This was such a great surprise! I tried it because it sounds so unusual, and I couldn't imagine it at all (well, except that I thought it'd smell like menthol rub). And it is beautiful! In the imp and initially there is that HUGE menthol Vicks vapor rub smell. Put this stuff on and clear your sinuses fast! But this only lasts a few minutes, then menthol fades, and the orange and pine appear. And it is wonderful. It smells like a freshly halved orange, dripping with juice, sitting in the sunshine, with crushed pine needles nearby. The two balance nicely. It smells sweet, clean, light. It is light, which is a little ding, but it lasts at that light stage for 3-5 hours. I'm not sure yet if I'll get a big bottle. I do know that I love this scent, because it smells so good and so natural, but not like I'm wearing "perfume" (I guess that would make it a skin scent). Anyway, I'm keeping the imp, and it is definitly in the running for a big bottle!