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AthenaRose

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Everything posted by AthenaRose

  1. AthenaRose

    Tombstone

    Strongly cedar with a hint of vanilla. I kinda wish it was the other way around. I love cedar personally, but my fiancé isn't much of a fan of it on me. So sadly, i probably won't wear this one that much. Maybe i can layer it with something a little sweeter. 3/5
  2. AthenaRose

    Pride

    Another frimp from the lab that i'm really happy with! BPAL roses are great. Pride is a rich rose. Stronger and more fragrant than Wanton which is a more watery tender rose. I love them both, but i think i like this one a little bit more. 4/5
  3. AthenaRose

    Himerus

    This was a frimp that left me pleasantly surprised. Not something i ever would have chosen, but i'm glad i got to try it. It smells a little bitter in the IMP, but on my skin it quickly changes into a warm sweet floral. Like sweet flowers on a sunny day. The orchid and lilac are a nice mix. 4/5
  4. AthenaRose

    Bliss

    This one is exactly what it says it is on me. Pure milk chocolate. Delicious! 4/5
  5. AthenaRose

    Nyx

    This was a frimp, and probably the worst BPAL on my skin yet. I love myrrh and rose, but jasmine is awful on me. I can't see this one ever working for me... jasmine and i don't get along. It gives me a headache and makes me kinda queasy. Had to scrub this one off and i could still smell it. 1/5
  6. AthenaRose

    The Knave of Hearts

    Yummy! I feel gorgeous wearing this blend. This is the ultimate rose scent. This one totally works for me. The rose is dominant, but i can still smell the tarts. It's like warm gooey butter tarts slathered with jam made from rose petals. Totally decadent! It's girly and flirty and tender with the roses, and the richness and intensity of buttery black current tarts. The tarts are dripping with a deep, dark, buttery syrupy molasses that holds down the light sweet clean rosy floral and keeps it from drifting away and being too watery. So much depth and range to this blend, i totally love it! 4.5/5
  7. AthenaRose

    Dragon's Milk

    Initially sharp cherry/floral from the dragon's blood, but it mellows out after time and the honeyed vanilla adds a bit of smoothness. It's pleasant enough, but it might be a bit too fruity/floral for me without anything richer and spicier holding it down... almost borderline bathroom air freshener, but a good quality one. Doesn't really feel like me though, at least, not today. 3/5
  8. AthenaRose

    Bengal

    Ouch! I should have read the reviews first. This one should come with a warning, do not appy on damp skin! I had just washed my arms to make sure i didn't have any residual scent left, because i wanted to give this one a fair analysis during my first trial of it. But yikes, it burns on the elbows, it's hot and it stings! I had to wash it off my elbows, i'm lucky they didn't start to turn red yet. Wrists and behind the ears were fine, thankfully. Pretty yummy though. Smells like Celestial Seasonings Bengal Spice Herbal Tea (one of my favourites!) sweetened with honey! This honey note instantly reminds me of Winnie The Pooh scratch & sniff books i had when i was a kid. This one is fun. And now i'd like a cup of tea. Wonderful! 4/5
  9. AthenaRose

    Hellcat

    Interesting. I can smell everything in this. And it's constantly changing. It's sweet almonds, no it's very boozy rum, no now it's butter tarts, but the butter tarts have hazelnuts and almonds instead of pecans. Wait... someone just poured honey all over it, and so on. Throughout the entire drydown, this one just keeps morphing. It's all over the place, and the notes don't ever really blend together, instead they are all fighting with each other trying to come out on top, like a big CATFIGHT! Haha, how appropriate. Even when it's dry for a few hours, the notes keep on fighting each other. Sometimes i smell one, sometimes another, but never at the same time. This one is incredibly moody and independant and doesn't attatch itself to my own skin's scent, it just hovers nearby ready to pounce on someone if they get too close. Meow. Hisss. Purrrr. 3/5
  10. AthenaRose

    Antique Lace

    Wow. Antique Lace is lovely. I'm really enjoying this one. Sweet but not cloying. Clean but not soapy. Dry but not powdery. Gentle but not too faint. This is laundry drying out on the clothesline on a fresh spring day. Soft, breezy and warm. This is how i WISH my laundry smelled. This is the velveteen rabbit stuffed with marshmallows! I'm not big on florals, but this is fantastic. I hope my fiancé will like this one. ETA: He does, and i can see myself wearing this one to work a lot, since it's not overpowering and won't offend anyone. 4.5/5
  11. AthenaRose

    Blood

    In the IMP: Cherry. Like the liquid cherry stuff inside a chocolate covered cherry. Wet on my skin: Spicy cherry, with an incensy floral undertone. Drydown: Hello clove and dragon's blood. This is yummy, a good mix. The cherry fades away first. Occasionally i catch a whiff that gives me the impression that i've been too agressive flossing my teeth and i've caused my gums to bleed... that sweet metallic blood taste in the mouth, that's the overall effect of this blend. It's well blended and appropriately named. After a few hours: This mellows out to a nice sweet warm comforting myrrh. I'm starting to realize i really enjoy the scents that have a myrrh base to them, they last longer on me and work really well with my chemistry. Hooray for myrrh. 4/5
  12. AthenaRose

    Morocco

    Ah, sweet Morocco, you are a tease... why are you so aloof? Morocco smells nice, i think. I can hardly smell it at all, and then it dissapears completely. Where did it go? Strange. I reapply, it's subtle to start, and then again, 'poof' it's gone without a trace. Is my nose broken? Am i congested? Why does this one smell 'invisible' to me? I asked my fiancé to smell me, and he says it smells great... in fact, it's his FAVOURITE Bpal on me so far. So i sniff myself again. Nothing there. I burry my face in my arm and inhale deeply. I think maybe i smell something, but it smells like it was applied 24 hrs ago and it's so faint i wonder if i'm just imagining it. Will this one get stronger with age? Or is my nose unable to smell the notes in this? Morocco is to my nose, like a dog whistle is to my ears. I'll have to put this one aside and wait and see if it changes, or if my nose gets better. Rating: Undecided... because in order to give it a rating, i need to be able to actually smell it first. ETA: So i tried it again later, and i can smell it a bit this time, but it's still pretty faint. I can smell the carnation, and it's smooth warm and spicy... but not in a hot spicy way. This scent 'glows' and it's really lovely. It's comforting much in the way that Antique Lace is, but even gentler still. I'm going to keep aging it and see what happens. 4/5
  13. AthenaRose

    Eat Me

    Three white cakes, vanilla, and red and black currants. Eat Me doesn't change very much on me, it stays pretty true to how it smells in it's initial application. It's soft and sweet and yummy. This is a light fluffy spongy cake, with hints of gooey sweetness. It reminds me of those scratch-and-sniff stickers i used to collect when i was a kid. Funny how a scent can trigger an old memory like that. I really enjoy this one for it's nostalgia value. 4/5
  14. AthenaRose

    Miskatonic University

    Skin chemistry is a funny thing. On my fiancé this goes on very sweet, irish coffee. And it stays sweet for hours. Very foody, very delicious. He smells edible. Can't smell any paper or books on him, maybe a faint hint of wood, but it's really mostly all irish coffee. But it's too foody and girly for him and not something he wants to wear. That's okay i think, i'll try it on myself, because it's delicious. Again, goes on a lovely irish coffee and then BAM in less than 5 minutes i smell like old books. OLD STALE MUSTY BOOKS. And nothing else. Maybe a tiny hint of wood. The delicious irish coffee has dissapeared completely. Actually, this smells like a bunch of old flannel shirts that have been stored in a rubbermaid container for 10 years. Stale old clothes. Horrible. This is sad. I want it to smell like it does on my fiancé. Why does it smell beautiful on him and totally foul on me? I guess my chemistry just won't let me wear this one. I need to scrub this off with some soap, it smells that wrong on me. 1/5
  15. AthenaRose

    Stimulating Sassafras Strengthener

    It's rootbeer alright. And not sickly sweet A&W rootbeer. This is sharp, crisp, biting Barq's root beer! The vanilla and butter are pretty much lost on me. This is strongly medicinal and somewhat masculine rootbeer. My fiancé thought it smelled like licorice at first, but then he smelled the rootbeer, and he was unmoved by it. It lasts, but doesn't have much throw, as i have to stick my arm right up to my face to smell it, otherwise i forget it's there entirely. ETA: After a few more hours, this has gone completely sour on me. I don't know if this is because of female hormones and bad timing, or what, but it actually makes me a little queasy and makes my stomach turn when i smell it. I'm going to let it age and try it again later though, because i really wanted to love this one. 2/5
  16. AthenaRose

    March Hare

    Delicious juicy spicy apricots. I love this, very yummy. I can smell both the apricot, and the clove, they are well balanced. My fiancé thought it smelled like peaches, haha. Hey, at least he was close. He loves it though... he said it's one of his favourites (he loves fruity and spicy smells). The apricot lasts longer than the clove on me, so after a couple hours it's just pure apricot. I wish this one would last longer, because it's really tasty. Maybe i'm having issues because i have dry skin and my skin just sucks up all the oil too quickly. I'll have to moisturize before i apply next time and see if that helps. Overall, i'll give it a 4/5.
  17. AthenaRose

    Wanton

    I got this one as a frimp and it's lovely. It doesn't really change much on me from wet to dry, just fades a bit and gets softer until it's gone. It's a nice, sweet rose. It doesn't go soapy or old lady on me like most florals do. It's nice to have a floral i can wear that doesn't turn gross. My fiancé described it as a soft, tender flowers. It will be good for days when i feel like smelling extra girly and innocent. 3/5
  18. AthenaRose

    Yves St. Laurent Opium smell-alike?

    Malice (diabolus) reminded me of Opium. It does share the ylang ylang and the patchouli notes.
  19. AthenaRose

    Malice

    This was a frimp, and far from anything i would have chosen on my own, but fun and educational to try, for sure. In the IMP: Sharp, bitter and strong. First impression is i'm probably not going to like this one. Wet on my skin: Sharp piercing floral. Overwhelmingly floral. Yikes. Drydown: Floral floral floral. There may have been hints of clove somewhere in there, but they were overpowered by the ylang ylang, which is dissapointing. Dry on my skin: It's mellowed out a bit and warmed by the myrrh and patchouli, but it's starting to remind me of Opium or Esté Lauder's Beautiful. Must be the ylang ylang. My fiancé says i smell like an old lady, or a grandma. I have to agree. It also reminds me of Red Door, which my grandma used to wear. Ylang ylang does not work on me. It goes all potpourri bathroom airfreshener on me. It is somewhat relaxing though. And after many many many hours, the floral fades into a pleasant myrrh... but it takes way too long to get there. This is an educational reminder that i should probably stay away from florals. It's not horribly unpleasant, but it's not anything i would want to smell like, so i'm giving it a 2/5.
  20. AthenaRose

    Hecate

    Another frimp from the lab, and i was glad to recieve this one because i love almonds. I use almond milk in my tea, and marzipan is always the first one i grab out of a box of assorted chocolates. In the IMP: Amaretto, yum. Wet on my skin: Amaretto/Cherry Twizlers Nibs. Drydown: Smoky sweet perfume with an edge. The almond doesn't last very long, which is a little dissapointing to me. Strangely, this seemed to affect me emotionally giving me almost a false sense of importance, like my fiancé should be worshiping me, and then annoyance that he wasn't because he was distracted by other things (like driving the car). Silly, since i wouldn't really want him to be so distracted by me that he wasn't paying attention to the road, that would be dangerous! After a few hours: This one fades very quickly and after about 2 hrs it's only a faint hint of a memory of any smell to me at all. Very subtle, and smells very close to my own skin, warm skin, sweet sweat. Attractive, and not repulsive. I have dark hair, so maybe that's why dark musk seems to blend with my chemistry nicely. My fiancé says this one is his favourite one yet. I reapplied it, and an hour later, i felt VERY drowsy and took a nap for 3 hours! I'm not sure if it was the oil that made me sleepy, or if it was because it's hot out today. 4/5 because i wish it had a bit more staying power, but it's really nice. I think i'll apply it again, for a 3rd time today.
  21. AthenaRose

    Van Van

    This one is pretty complex, and i still can't figure it out. The mystery adds to it's appeal though. Here's what i seem to be smelling from it though. I don't have a very experienced nose, so i'm probably way off. In the IMP: Heavy boozy fruitcake. Wet on my skin: Sharp bitter lemon and black licorice. I probably wouldn't like it if it stayed like this, but it doesn't stay like this very long before it starts to change into something really nice. Drydown: Soft powdery velvety floral with a hint of wood. Smells like carnation or some sort of wild rose? I don't know my flowers very well, but this is nice and it's definately a floral i can wear. After a few hours: Cedar/wood with the softness of that floral scent. As time passes, eventually all i can smell is the wood/cedar smell. I asked a co-worker to smell me and tell me what she thought i smelled like, and she instantly said 'cedar'. Then she wanted to sniff me again. She said the smell made her feel grounded. Overall impression: This one made me happy. It put me in a good mood all day at work on a busy day. I also felt calm and confident. I'm going to give it a 4/5. My fiancé thought it was okay, but nothing special. He said it smelled like a fancy soap or scented candle. Edit: after reading the other reviews, i think that the 'floral' scent i was trying to figure out was palmarosa. My skin must really amp the palmarosa, although the wood smell (possibly vetivert grass?) seems to linger longer after the palmarosa fades (about 4 hrs later).
  22. AthenaRose

    Scarecrow

    I got Scarecrow as a frimp, and after reading that it can be a masculine scent, i decided to try it on my fiancé. My impression of it on him: It smells strangely sweet to me. Somewhat soapy and grassy. Is there jasmine in this? It reminds me of Thé De Jasmin by Fruits & Passion but not nearly as strong. It does make me a little dizzy and lightheaded though. His Impression: He said it smells like a natural non-chemical Pine-Sol. Clean and fresh. He gives it a 3/5 and he says he'd wear it again, it's okay, but he doesn't love it. ETA: I've tried this a couple times, and i didn't like it much to start with, but it's really growing on me. It reminds me of World of Warcraft, being in the fields of Westfall killing Harvest Golems and Harvest Watchers, and the flasks of oil they frequently drop when you loot them. Edited again: Scarecrow, i love you. Scarecrow has now become my 'cleansing' scent. It's powerful enough to chase the bad smells away. After bad experiences with Stimulating Sassafrass Strengthener and Miskatonic University going really BAD on my skin chemistry and not being able to wash them off completely, Scarecrow has saved me on both occasions by banishing the stench. I had no idea how useful this would be when i first tried it, and how grateful i would be to have it on hand. It's not sexy like some of the other blends that i have come to love already, but it's so fresh and clean, with a hint of oddness that really appeals to me. 4/5
  23. AthenaRose

    Velvet

    I recieved velvet as a frimp on my first BPAL order, and this is the first scent that i have tried. So this is a review from a BPAL noob, but a very pleased noob i am, and i'm very excited to try the rest of my imps. So here are my impressions, from the nose of a novice scent sniffer. In the IMP: Sweet, but not too sweet, dark dusty chocolate. Mmm, delicious... i'm a huge dark chocolate fan. Almost like a dark chocolate fruit and nut bar (my favourite). Wet on my skin: Chocolatey and smoky. Kinda like when you make chocolate chip pancakes, and the chocolate chips get a little bit burnt on the pan after a few batches. Drydown: Quickly turns strongly woodsy, i believe that's the sandalwood, but there is still a touch of sweetness fromt the vanilla, but not overpoweringly vanilla. I mostly smell wood at this point, the other notes are very faint. After a few hours: Soft, dusty smoky wood, with faint hints of chocolate and vanilla. I can see why this is called Velvet. It's like a velvet magican's cape that's been stored in a wooden box in the attic for a long time. Warm, intriguing and comforting. Final thoughts: I'm happy i recieved this one. It's the first Bpal scent i've tried, but i like it enough that i'll gladly trash ALL my old perfumes. This does not make me sneeze or give me a headache. My fiancé thought it smelled nice, and my dad thought it was nice too. ETA: After trying many others, this one is still one of my top favourites 4.5/5
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