Myrrha

Wet -- Can smell the coconut but it isn’t as sun-lotion like as I feared it might be. It is dryer and blended with other notes. Slightly foody-vanilla aspect to it. Perfume-y. That must be the Iris. 5 minutes -- Sweet! And it has that smooth, rounded glorious beauty that a pearl has. I like this one! Oddly, I think I can make out a little bit of violet in the blend. It is the kind of scent where the notes really blend and add up to something unique. 15 minutes -- softens out . Yummy. Sweet but just perfum-y enough to balance that. Usually I like scents that are a bit more reserved than this one is, but I can tell I am going to be wearing it sometimes just to sniff. Might be a good passion potion too. 1 hour -- still lovely. On me the iris is coming out more. The musk and iris must be working with my body chemistry as this is not turning or doing anything odd. I like this much better than Blood Pearl. It is a little lighter and sweeter with no soapiness as it wears on. EDIT: I love it when the rag-ends of a scent that linger after a few hours wear still smell good. This one just gets softer and softer and seems almost more enticing as it wears away.

In imp: I can smell the dragon’s blood. Wet: Sweet but not foody, floral, spicy. This has a transparency that I like. Either it smells like skin or I can smell my skin through it. There might be some musk mixed in with the dragon’s blood and perhaps a little cinnamon? Or is it that the dragon's blood resin has a slightly cinnamon-like scent? 20 minutes: It is a bit more floral now but somehow the floral element is also transparent. Dragon's blood smells a bit like lilac on me. Drydown: On me this remains a somewhat transparent creamy/floral/spicy scent. This makes me feel attractive and sexy but it it is still pretty and doesn't seem too blatantly seductive. I've been wearing this frequently. It is strong so a few drops is enough and it lasts for hours. Edit 7/09 -- French Love remains a favorite BPAL. It is enticing while still smelling fresh. Something about it makes me feel confident as well as attractive. Edit 1/10 -- I no longer wear the other "sexy" scents I liked when I first discovered bpal: Lilith, Sed non Satiata, Blood Kiss, Blood Lotus... but I still like and wear French Love. --Myrrha

In imp: spicy, warm. Wet: still spicy. A bit flat somehow, like there should be more to the scent? 6 minutes: WOW!! Now the scent is rounder. I can smell clove as well as the floral scent. It seems to be doing nice things with my chemistry, although it smells too strong. Wait, when I don’t smell my wrist directly but just sit here and let it rise off of me like steam…it smells amazing. Is there some vanilla in here? Something creamy along with the spicy floral. 20 minutes: It does seem to be doing well with my chemistry. It smells beautiful. I can’t pick out individual spices anymore. Either I’ve gotten used to it or it has settled down some because it no longer smells so strong. Although there is a definite “floral” note it doesn’t sit on top of my skin and smell fake like most florals but seems to sink in somehow. It might be a little overbearing for work but it isn't as strong as the old 80's YSL scent. It is lovely. 1 1/2 hours: It still smells lovely on me and seems to have sunk into my skin so it smells like me only wonderful. --Myrrha

In imp: very floral, a high, sharp floral. Wet: lilac, lots of lilac. Where is the DBR? This smells too dressy for me. I’m not in the mood for this so will try it again another day. Drydown: Still very much LILAC. I would have enjoyed this one more if the lily of the valley and resin had stood up to the lilac a bit more. Another day: Today it is very hot out and I appreciate the high, clear tone of this scent. I guess that must be what they mean by “piercing” in the description. The lilac is behaving itself, not too much throw and it isn’t overpowering. Still, it doesn't smell very interesting on me. --Myrrha