hlinspjalda

In the vial: Quite fruity! I get melon, quince, citrus, followed by florals and something a little sharp, maybe the peony. Wet: Very melony, but there's something warm and resinous underneath. The quince and the various citrus are obvious too. This smells very delicious, with just a touch of the pungent sharpness of peony to counter all that fruity sweetness. Half an hour: Oh, this is nice, it really does remind me of candied winter melon from the Lunar New Year. But there's a lot else there too, including my first impression of the plum blossom. Hour and a half: As the fleshy fruit notes usually do on me, they've dropped off considerably after an hour. Now this smells much more floral than before. It's very pleasant, though, and I'll definitely wear it again. Four hours: More floral than anything else now, but with the plum blossom slant it's still very Asian in character. Glad I got to try this one! Eight hours: Exclusively floral-woody now. It keeps that Asian character, though, to the last.

In the vial: Woody, honey, then amber. Wet: Wood first, but amber is right behind. It has a rich depth to it and doesn't smell a lot like sandalwood, so I think I'm getting other woods. The honey has a great throw but is almost unnoticeable when I get my nose up to my skin. Interesting! Half an hour: Still predominantly woody, but with a delicious honey spiciness. I can even almost make out something fruit, which is very surprising because currant hardly ever registers on me. One hour: I like this a lot. It reminds me of some of the qualities of Hetairae (spicy honey sweetness), but the wood keeps it a little less aggressive. As long as the red sandalwood doesn't sour, this could be a solid win on me. Three hours; Less long-lasting than I usually get from honey and amber, maybe because of all the wood. The red sandalwood has soured a bit, but not enough to make the scent fail on me. It's pleasant, but definitely past its peak. Four and a half hours: Very faded. I should probably trade this; as nice as it was, it just doesn't rock my socks.

In the vial: This smells very appealing. I get tonka, vanilla, and floral. Normally I'm not crazy about scents with tonka or vanilla as the dominant notes, so this should be interesting. Wet: The champaca flower changes the tonka-vanilla base into something I really like. This is not in my usual zone, but it is quite beautiful. Half an hour: Oh, this is soothing. It's not the usual flatness I get from orchid, but it seems as if there's a creamy smooth base with the champaca over it. It is sweet, in a vanilla sort of way, but I'm not getting the crazy amping I got from the French vanilla in Wulric. One hour: This has gotten more complex now. The floral is stronger and there seems to be a different note in it as well. I can barely notice the tonka and vanilla now; instead it's become a very gently musky floral. Three hours: This is one of those gentle, smooth scents that constantly mutates on me. Right now it's musky orchid with a light floral top. Four and a half hours: Unexpectedly, I like this one a lot. It's very delicate, though. I'll keep it for now and then reconsider, but I expect I'll probably wind up trading it away.

In the vial: Rose and honey, with a hint of vanilla. This smells deliciously edible, with the "jammy" note. Wet: Darker and more complex now. The florals are more evident, but it's still principally rose. No longer so jammy. I like it. Half an hour: Still rose and honey, but there's fruit and something rather spicy. I don't get the peony or iris notes as such, but there's something complex about this floral that isn't accounted for by rose and vanilla flower, so there you are. This is powerful and a bit dark; it's beautiful. One hour: Much more completely blended now. I quite like this; it's gone from being another rose scent to having its own rosy fruity dark identity. Three hours; Spicy fruity floral now, with a touch of something almost smokelike. I like this a lot; it will be a struggle not to pursue more of it! Four and a half hours: This has gone a little sour now, like sour roses with honey. But the middle game of this one is fantastic.

In the vial: Blue-green impression, very astringent; mostly I get violet leaf. Wet: Aquatic but also more floral now. The lotus is ramping up, which is warming the blend. It is sweeter than before, too, but still quite tannic. Half an hour: This is very aquatic on me now, even though the lotus and water lily are in charge. I like it in the abstract, but the idea of me smelling like it is kind of weird to me. One hour: Really very aquatic, salty, with strong florals over and strong astringent notes as well. It's a fascinating scent, but I don't think it works on me. Two hours: It's a lot calmer now. It's lightly aquatic, salty, tannic. Much of the floral has diminished, which is surprising for lotus on me. I think this will be going into the trade pile. Four and a half hours: Still a salty aquatic, only gentle now. The florals were surprisingly quick to fade on this one. What's left is a bit bitter, with very blue overtones.

In the vial: Sweetly floral, a bit of honey, magnolia, and a floral I don't recognize. Wet: The musk comes up right away and warms this into something very sensuous. I'm getting a note that's almost aquatic, though; is that the immortelle? Half an hour: Musky honey with that almost-aquatic note. I like it a lot. One hour: The magnolia note isn't working on me quite as well as it sometimes does. Which is too bad, because the rest of this scent is wonderful. But it's just enough off that I'm not sure. Two hours: This is a delicious, sensuous fragrance. It smells like languid sex to me: musky, sweet, floral, rich and just this side of overwhelming. I don't know if I actually dare to wear this one very often! Four and a half hours: This is the most wanton, carnal scent I've sniffed so far in the whole BPAL catalogue. I don't mean it smells like skanky used sheets. No, it smells like The Unheavenly City, only much more so. It's indolent, self-indulgent, even decadent, and focused on one thing only: The Mattress Mambo. I adore it, but I'm not sure I'll ever dare wear it. Later: I've been convinced that I have to wear this. Now that I'm over that conceptual hurdle, I think I'll have to acquire a bottle!

In the vial: Sweet and fruity: grapey, grapefruit, and then the plumeria. Wet: I can already make ot the white musk, which is often a deal-breaker for me. But the rest of it is sweet and penetrating, with grape, grapefruit, and ginger leading the way. The cherry is present too, also the ginger. Half an hour: This reminds me a bit of a fragrance I used as a teen. The fruit is mostly gone now; it's musk, a bit of floral, and some grapefruit. I like it very much, but it's quite subdued and, I suspect, will not last long. One hour: This has changed almost completely. It's become an unrecognized tropical floral (must be the pikaki, with which I'm unfamiliar), and smells very light, almost blue in impression. This is the first time I've actually liked the white musk note, so I'm quite impressed. Three hours: Very light and almost aquatic scent on me now. My husband was able to pick out the cherry note at one hour, but I wasn't. Four hours: It's definitely a gentle white musk with a bit of blue-smelling something or other above it. So like infatuation, it comes on strong and sweet, then fades to a gentle memory. But the white musk note is still working for me this time, which is the big discovery I can take away from this sampling. Five hours: Now it's down to that white musk note that doesn't work on me. Ah well, it was fun while it lasted.

Patchouli, carnation, peach blossom, frankincense, honeysuckle, and Spanish mandarin. In the vial: Sharp patchouli, resin, and a bit of honeysuckle. Wet: Tthe patchouli yields to a rush of warm scents: frankincense, honeysuckle, carnation, and after a minute the peach comes up. Heady, sweet, warm. Half an hour: Spicy carnation and honeysuckle, with peach. I really, really like this one. One hour: Peach carnation honeysuckle patchouli fabulousness. Oh darn, I am completely in love. True love. Three hours: Oh, my heart is broken; I'm in love with another rare LE. This is spectacular, like all the best aspects of Imp melded with the honeysuckle note of my dreams. Even my husband says he likes this one! Four hours: Doesn't last as long as some. Surprising, for a scent that powerful on me. But I don't care, I'm still in love. A half-imp is never going to be enough! Five hours: A little bit of resin, faintly orangey. Seven hours: Still that tangy bit of resin hanging on. I pursued this until I acquired enough to keep me from obsessing about it. It's Top Five for me!

In the vial: Rose attar and pear. Exceptionally high quality impression from the rose, and the pear smells very sweet. Please, violet, don't ruin this scent for me! Wet: Sweet rose immediately. There is also pear and at least one other sweet scent, but so far so good. 45 minutes: Mostly rose attar with a pearlike top note. This is very pleasant indeed. Two hours: Still very pleasant rose and pear. Hurrah, the violet didn't kill it for me! Four hours: This quickly got very faint. Too bad, because it was lovely while it lasted.

This partial decant was a gift from jolarocknrolla, the original Holiday 2008 Fairy on SinandSalvation. In the vial: Deep resin and herb, sharp, maybe with some patchouli. Wet: Warmer and very deep now. There's resin, maybe rich patchouli, and I think some kind of wood. It's also sweetly spicy, rather like the bay rum note. I like this very much, but on me it smells like a man. A delicious man, might I add! Twenty minutes: That bay rum note seems more pronounced now. This is warm, sweet, smoky, spicy, maybe a little woody. It smells like an outdoorsy man to me. Hour and a half: Oh, I want to rub my nose up and down this one. It definitely belongs on a man! But delicious, woody spicy resinous outdoorsy. Two and a half hours: I love this. Four hours: And still loving this! I hate it when I fall in love with a Rare! But this one is charming, invoking very clearly a whiskery, Wild West kind of doctor. Eight hours: Even after this long, it smelled good enough for my daughter to approve of it. I may have to go looking for some more of this. Woe, woe unto my pocketbook!

In the vial: Fruity, but subdued. There's a familiar note in this that I can't identify, something a little flat. Wet: A bit smoky, or woody. Might be something like the "burnt sandalwood" note in a few things I've tested recently. Still the tang of fruit, but there's a dominant note I can't place at all. Twenty minutes: I get gentle white flowers, I'm not sure what kind (not honeysuckle, magnolia, gardenia, or jasmine though). Also dirt, or something like maybe evergreens? It kind of reminds me of the gentler aspects of Burial. There's also something spicy about it. I didn't expect to like this one much, but I rather do. One hour: Still gentle white flowers and some other note. There's also something that seems like a light aquatic. Two hours: That's interesting, this has soured a bit like red sandalwood. Still the remnants of florals, but I'm not sure what else I'm getting. It's still kind of interesting, but probably not worth my keeping since it's such a rare. I'm sure there must be people out there who really want this one. Five hours: Now it smells like men's cologne. I think that soured note might be oakmoss? There's also a hint of citrus and other herbal notes. This one sure was a puzzler.

I bought this lab-donated bottle in a charity auction. In the bottle: A rich sweetness with heavy florals above. Wet: Fleshy florals come up first over a base of musk. It's warm, heavy, sweet, like a July night in Tennessee. Twenty minutes: Musk and fleshy florals. It's not quite as sweet as before, but still quite nice on me. Hour and a half: I'm getting a musk-vanilla thing starting to happen now, with the fleshy white florals above it. I like it very much, it reminds me of home. Two and a half hours: Wow! This has settled down into sweet musk with tinges of vanilla and a top note of luscious, understated magnolia. I've wanted a magnolia scent, and I think I have just found it. Oh, how wonderful! Four hours: Still there: warm and sweet vanilla-musk with magnolia. I like this; it has a more soothing vibe than most of the musk-florals. Ten hours: Still noticeable musk-vanilla. I am so glad I have a bottle of this!

I'm not a foodie, so I've never gone searching for this scent. But this testable sniffie was part of an auction I won, so I figured I had to try it. In the vial: Fruity, buttery, foody. Wet: Foody, a bit buttery, but the fruit has turned sharp. I wonder if that means currant? Currant almost never works on me, whereas most of the Lab's fruit notes do fine on me. But this has a genuinely bitter overtone, like jam made with too many berry skins and not enough pulp. There's also a bit of something woody-spicy, maybe cinnamon. Twenty minutes: The bitter jam note is dominating here, along with a woody spice note, darker than cinnamon. I'm guessing black currants, not red ones. And maybe another very dark berry, although this is nothing like the blueberry or blackberry notes I've experienced. At any rate, the buttery baked-goods quality of it is entirely secondary. One hour: Still strong bitter jam with some woody spice. Is that anise, or fennel maybe? Two hours: Yup, still bitter jam and a woody spice. Five hours: The dark fruit jam note is still lightly present, and something a little like maple syrup or maybe it's just baked goods with butter I'm smelling. At ten hours, I was beginning to get a buttery note. I guess it took the bitter fruit note that long to die down. Frankly, I'm just as glad I dodged a bullet on this one. People do crazy things for half-imps of this one!

In the vial: Coffee, cream, custard. It really does smell like eggnog latte! Wet: Wow, mostly I'm getting nutmeg! There's the bitterness of coffee but not a lot of actual coffee scent, and there's residual egginess, but mostly this smells rather like an enjoyably spiced butter cookie, not too rich, not too overpowering. And good! I didn't expect to like it at all. Twenty minutes: Wow, the nutmeg smell is awesome. I'm really in trouble now, because this is a super-rare and I actually like it. One hour: Hardcore nutmeg-flavored egg custard. I don't get cream, or coffee, or anything else, just egg custard with a lot of nutmeg. And strangely, I still like it. Two hours: Yup, still nutmeg with egg custard underneath. This makes me giggle! Five hours: The nutmeg is much less pungent now, and I can make out more details of the custardy flavor. Still no coffee or cream, though. I didn't expect to like this, and I'm amazed that I did. It smelled just like the custard my mother used to bake when I was a small child.

In the vial: This smells so cheerful and reassuring to me, like the cosy feeling of family at holiday time. Oh, and fruit. It smells rather like spiced pear and apple cider. The pear note isn't the usual pear note, though; it's more like a Bartlett than a Comice pear. Wet: Oh, my, is this delicious on my skin! But there's something rather herbal in it. Is that maybe bayberry I'm getting? Twenty minutes: A lot of fruit, a lot of spice, and that herbal note that might be bayberry. It's hovering close to scented candles territory, but not quite going over, so we'll see. One hour: Still loving this. There also seems to be a floral in it now, maybe carnation -- or is that just clove? The fruit intensity has dropped way back, and it's no longer recognizable as apple or pear. Two hours: I still quite like this although it has mutated a lot. Now it seems to be more spicy floral than anything else, but with some tangy fruit on the side. Five hours: There's what seems like the remains of a deeply fruity scent, maybe wine or cider. Still something a little bit herbal. Not much of that spicy note left, though. This never went over to candles on me, and it always stayed pleasant and enjoyable.

Wine grapes, myrrh, frankincense and olive leaf, and the warm scent of offertory cakes. In the vial: Fruity sweet, with a twitch of olives. This smells very appetizing. Wet: The fruit develops a complexity as the base of resins develops. There's something almost citrusy-vanilla about it, the "orange cake" note I sometimes get. That tinge of green olive is still there, too. Twenty minutes: Ahhh, lots of resin now. There's a lot of sweet warmth, hardly any fruit at all, and still some kind of a baked goods aroma. That green olive note has flattened somewhat and now comes across simply as herbal. I rather like it. One hour: This has quite a presence. It's unusual, lingering, and intriguing. It's not quite mysterious, but if I smelled this in the air I would certainly pursue it until I discovered its source and knew what it was. It's mostly resins with some herb, a sharp sweetness, and something foody, pretty much as advertised. Two hours: The herbiness is tending to overshadow the resin now. No fruitiness at all now, but that baked goods aroma is still there. It rather reminds me of my half-wheat bread recipe when it's just beginning to bake in the bread machine. This is really quite interesting. Three hours: Still pretty much the same. It's really kind of fascinating, although more as a scent than as an elective perfume. I'm not sure how often I'd want to smell like this, but I rather enjoy the unusualness of it. Four hours: More resinous now. I find this one very evocative, very fairly representative of the concept it's supposed to be conveying. It makes me daydream about ancient Greece. Six hours: Mostly resin now, extremely pleasant though. Just a tinge of that olive note; the grapes and offertory cakes are long gone now.

In the vial: Rather like Eisheth Zenunim without the ambergris note. Bright, sweet, fruity peach-floral. Wet: Quite a lot like Eisheth Zenunim, actually. It's sweeter, and the florals are in a different zone, but very similar. The darker note is provided by some of the florals, especially the jasmine which is darkening on me. Twenty minutes: The fruitiness is mostly over, althugh the peach is still obvious. Floral notes (especially iris or osmanthus) have intensified and sharpened; they're now the most noticeable. Not getting any citrus or cream. Hour and a half: This has smoothed out nicely now. Although it's nowhere near as fruity as in the beginning, it's a pleasant sweet floral with my favorite peach note. If I ran out of Eisheth Zenunim I would definitely pick up a bottle of this. For now, though, I think the imp will suffice. Two and a half hours: Still very pleasant, and I like it. Four hours: It's definitely past its peak, although the fade is staying pleasant rather than getting tired or going limp.

In the vial: Vetiver and something tart like fruit, but not at all sweet. Wet: Vetiver with the warm sesame-like note I got off Bien Loin d'Ici. There's musk, something tart that might be the pomegranate, and some patchouli underneath it. There's also something I think is carnation. Twenty minutes: Sharp, a little salty, but not leathery and not particularly dark. It's lost all pretension to warmth and sweetness, though. Even the patchouli isn't its usual welcoming self. One hour: Vetiver and musk. Somehow this is much less intense than it sounds from the ingredient list. Black musk doesn't get very strong on me, but it does somehow smell a bit like an animal, at least in this blend. The vetiver is dominant, but not at all nasty or dirty, just kind of sharp and nose-tingly. Two hours: Patchouli is overtaking the vetiver, and it's a very interesting blend right now. It's probably going to go over entirely to patchouli now. Four hours: Patchouli, amber, subdued vetiver, and something else herby. I like this more now than I did, because I really wanted the fruit-patchouli combination. Probably won't keep it, though. But it's another example that I can sometimes wear vetiver, which is nice.

In the vial: Gardenia, wood, amber, another floral in that order. Wet: Gardenia over a warm, wide resiny base. This has potential. Twenty minutes: The gardenia hasn't gone piercing or headachy, but it's not the warm version I sometimes get either. There's another floral, sharper, so I think it's the iris. The base definitely is resinous, but with a woody edge. I think this needs a little longer to blend. One hour: Wow, that one calmed down a lot. It's got a gentle resin base now, just a shade more woody than most, and the gardenia has blended back down. The sharp floral note is gone, and instead I think I'm getting chamomile, kind of a honey-like overtone but extremely understated. If this is religious ecstasy, it's over-rated, but it would make a nice subtle daytime perfume. Two hours: Very gentle, warm resinous scent. I don't know why this is so subtle on me, because normally resins and gardenia really pop up off my skin. Four hours: Still very pleasant, very subtle. I like it, but I don't think it's successful enough on me to keep.

In the vial: Rose, orchid, lily, and something tangy. Wet: It smells mostly of alcohol. This is an old-looking half-imp I got as a trade frimp; I wonder if it's been diluted? But I also get rose, and there's something else, strong, a bit bitter. Half an hour: Floral blend dominated by rose. Very pleasant but not spectacular. If this were a mundane perfume, I'd be thrilled. Two hours: A very pleasant rose blend, subtle. Three hours: Beginning to sour. Still some pleasant elements, but I think this is a fail. Six hours: Only a sourish remnant. Definite fail. I'll probably try this one again some day, just in case that old imp was contaminated.

In the vial: Resinous, with a tinge of something citrusy or maybe minty. Very attractive, yet subtle. Wet: Sharper, but still resinous with a sparkly note. Twenty minutes: This has gone flat and warm, maybe white musk or lotus/orchid root? They have that flat effect on me. The resinous impression is gone, but there's still a sparkly note buried at the center of it. and something lightly herbal and citrusy about it too. One hour: I think there's carnation in this one too. I like the middle and top notes of this very much, but the flat musky base doesn't work well on me. Two and a half hours: That flat note is lessened. I do like this one too, with its smoky incense impression. Four and a half hours: Not nearly as lasting on me as some of the others in this line, but it's still quite a pleasant one.

In the vial: Peppery over honey and grape. Wet: The grapey element recedes, but it's still very sweet. There are warm spices in the background, or is that maybe carnation? A wood is present also. Twenty minutes: Delicous resin, or is that carnation? Grapey sweetness and the impression of a wood, although both have gentled. This reads as warm, spicy, and sweet. I like it. One hour: Much the same as before, but with a deeper impression of resin now. This is great. Two and a half hours: A lovely carnation blend; I like it very much. There's something just a shade powdery about it -- a honey note, maybe? Four and a half hours: Past its prime, but still very nice. Win. Seven hours: Still there, faded but nice. What a great scent! This is my favorite of the Stations of the Sun.

In the vial: Rich and woody. Wet: Still that impression of richness, like cream maybe. Another strong, spicy floral impression, perhaps also carnation? There's something sweet like cinnamon, almost a licorice impression too (fennel?), and the woodiness is still there underneath. This is very grounding, and I like it. Half an hour: The same stemmy lemony woody fragrance as Ra, but much better balanced with other ingredients. The carnation is still there too, also the impression of creaminess and spice. This reminds me of a locally handmade soap my family purchased a lot of one year for Christmas gifts. One hour: Softer and sweeter than Ra, and more noticeably floral, but this has blended down into something a lot more calm than I expected. Still has that creamy impression. Two hours: Not much change. Doesn't stick around as well as Ra on me, either. Four hours: Pretty much gone now.

In the vial: This smells almost like prepared mustard to me: something almost vinegary, a warm sharpness, an impression of herbs. There's also something faint and floral in the mix. Wet: Much warmer right away, the floral intensifes. Carnation? Something very spicy, definitely. I like it, but it is not gentle. Half an hour: A lemony woodiness, like lemongrass maybe. Still the impression of carnation, and I like it. But woody. Definitely woody, or stemmy, or something. One hour: Sweet spicy woodiness with almost a bay rum quality. It kind of reminds me of Baron Samedi, only not so aggressive. I quite like it. Two hours: Wow, I still really like this one. Four hours: It's faded a lot and gone a bit powdery. There's still something carnation-y about, though.

CMIV (904) I got a partial imp of this in a grab bag. It was my first exposure to Chaos Theory. I checked, but there doesn't seem to be a review of this number here. In the vial: Sweet, tart, strongly violet. Instinctive attraction to this one. Wet: Almond, violet, something mossy. Twenty minutes: Roses and violets. Not headachy, but kind of pungent. I kind of like this one. One hour: It's gone powdery on top now, but the thing I identified as roses earlier might be something else, something sweeter. It's still there under the powdery top, getting thicker and sweeter. I wonder if it's ylang-ylang? Two hours: The powdery note has died back leaving mostly the tangy sweet floral that I think might be ylang-ylang. Four hours: It's definitely past its peak now. Sweet floral with something musky underneath. Wow, that one changed a lot. I actually like the endgame, which reminds me of Hetairae.