Aredhel

Rating (on skin): 4/5 Summarised in a word or two: Spiced cake! In the imp: Buttercream frosting, thick honey, and cake. On skin, wet: Spiced vanilla cake drizzled with honey. The cake reminds me in varying ways of Eat Me, Gingerbread Poppet, Monster Bait: Underpants, and, oddly enough, Jack. I can't figure out what about it brings Jack to mind, but it's not a bad thing. I'm normally not one for such blatently foody scents, but Cockaigne is different. On skin, dry: This becomes very... well, it reminds me of a buttery brown sugar scent. The cakey note(s) remain, but it really reminds me of a buttery chestnut and brown sugar or something. Nice, but a little like holiday candles on me. I'm really surprised at the way this turned out. Conclusion/Notes: Lovely while wet, and it remains pretty true to the wet stage in my Salome locket — which is likely the only place I'd be able to wear it, since the drydown is a little odd and plastic on my skin — but while it's a wonderful smell, I don't think it's something I'd wear regularly. I think I'll keep the imp, though, in case I find myself in the mood for gingerbread cake.

Rating (on skin): 2/5 Summarised in a word or two: Evil orange! Pre-review thoughts: I... don't know why I'm testing this. Red patchouli and I are mortal enemies. On the other hand, I love orange blossom. In the imp: Hmm. This is a bit like spiced orange candy. I can detect the patchouli, but it's... nice. On skin, wet: This is surprisingly pleasant. Earthy, spiced orange cream. On skin, dry: This does remind me of Hunger. However, it also reminds me of Snake Oil. I imagine it's the patchouli. It has a similar earthy quality, without reeking of earth itself. The thing is, in SO, that earthiness is balanced by a wonderful, spiced and sugared vanilla. Ravenous lacks those wonderful notes, and is sharper. The orange blossom is faint now, but certainly there. It's... bent, in a strange way I can't explain. Conclusion/Notes: Someone (Shollin, I believe?) said that she thought it smelled like an evil orange. I absolutely agree. It's... odd. Unique and creative, but odd to me.

Rating (on skin): 1/5 Summarised in a word or two: Myrrh. In the imp: Ooh, this is nice. Dragon's blood and sweet cassia. On skin, wet: Dragon's blood and cassia! Very nice, a bit like a less sweet Chimera. On skin, dry: Dragon's blood, cassia, and... myrrh. Smokey, typically odd myrrh. Soon, the patchouli appears, and lends its dirty greeness to the blend, which doesn't help matters in the least. The further away I sniff, the sweeter it is, until I eventually smell the wonderful dragon's blood/cassia combination I first encountered. A little closer, and it's all weird incense and green earth. About an hour into the drydown, even sniffing from a foot away is useless: the incense and patchouli has spread. Conclusion/Notes: Too earthy and smokey for my liking, unfortunately.

Rating (on skin): 2/5 Summarised in a word or two: Fruity... alcohol? Pre-review thoughts: Geeze, but this has a lot of notes! I wonder how many I'll be able to pick out! In the imp: Apple, blackberry, cantaloupe, pear, guava, and peach. On skin, wet: A confusing jumble of fruity notes. I can't pick anything out, and it smells kind of... garbled. On skin, dry: I still can't pick out any individual notes, and there's something about this that smells of alcohol! It reminds me of the fruit-scented nail varnish remover at a nail salon in a nearby mall. Every time I walk by the salon, I smell it: fruity with a distinct alcohol under-scent. With Fruit Moon, it's obviously some note (though who could tell?) reacting badly with my skin chemistry. I wish I knew what that note was; my money's on lime. Conclusion/Notes: If it weren't for whatever note that doesn't agree with me, this would be quite lovely, and even if I didn't seek out a bottle, I'd keep the imp. As it is... well, I'll probably still hang on to the imp, but I won't seek out more -- which is a shame, since I've recently become a bit of a fan of fruity blends.

Rating (on skin): 2/5 Summarised in a word or two: Frankincense! In the imp: Very crisp and clean. It reminds me quite a bit of my beloved Ice Queen, actually. On skin, wet: Ozone, white musk, and mint! I'm not sure what it has in common with Ice Queen, beyond the musk. Maybe Ice Queen has ozone? Or perhaps Cloister has a bit of spruce? I'm not sure, but this is beautiful. On skin, dry: Again: beautiful. Very quite, clean, fresh, and cold. I smell the coldness of the mint more than I smell the actual mint, if that makes sense. And then the frankincense appears. Cloister then becomes an oddly cool, smokey incense-laden musk scent. It's just too smokey; not my type of scent at this point. Conclusion/Notes: I'm not much of a frankincense fan, even when said frankincense is blended with two of my most beloved of notes (white musk and mint). Cloister and I are not to be.

Rating (on skin): 1/5 Summarised in a word or two: Salty earth. Pre-review thoughts: It doesn't sound like something that'd work well for me, but I'm curious nonetheless! In the imp: Green, aquatic... dirt? On skin, wet: This is very, very salty and watery. Beneath that, I can smell something wonderful — something green, fresh, slightly sweet. On skin, dry: There's still something beautiful beneath a blanket of salty seas and watery dirt. It's just not strong enough to weather said dominant notes. After about half an hour, this is a salty green dirt. I'm not at all an earth/dirt fan, so this isn't working out for me. Conclusion/Notes: Alas, it isn't to be. I wish I could figure out exactly what is so nice beneath the salt and earth. Palm? Ferns?

Rating (on skin): 3/5 Summarised in a word or two: Musky fir! In the imp: Musky cedar. This... could be very, very good. On skin, wet: Very smokey and musky. I can pick out all of the listed notes, which is something of a rarity. On skin, dry: The fir needle's a bit sharp, but other than that, this is quite nice. Very heavy on the cedar, which really isn't a bad thing as all, as much as I love cedar (though, again, I can't wear it myself). Very "masculine." If the fir needle would just back down a bit, this would be a strong love. Conclusion/Notes: I like it, but the fir needle's keeping me from loving it. All the same, it's definitely not something I'd ever wear myself. However, I'll try it on the Boy this weekend. He might smell divine in it.

Rating (on skin): 1/5 Summarised in a word or two: Evil Lemon. In the imp: Verbena, vetiver, and lavender. None of these notes are ones I'm particularly fond of, so I'm not exactly chewing at the bit to continue... On skin, wet: Lemony! But darkly so. This ain't so sunshine-y, happy lemon. Very... earthy. On skin, dry: Once more, same as before! Antonino as a scent is as loud as I imagine the Carny Talker to be, and no less bold. You walk by, trying to politely ignore him, but no! — Antonino the perfume will not be ignored. Worse, right here you have three of my most loathed of notes, all clamouring for the spotlight. It's kind of like a darker, edgier, corrupted version of Carnaval Diabolique, except that CD's lemon mercifully backs off after a while. Antonino's verbena just gets stronger with time. Conclusion/Notes: Me, like something with verbena, lavender, and vetiver? I had to try a drop anyway.

Rating (on skin): 1/5 Summarised in a word or two: Odd. In the imp: Gorgeous almond milk, pine and smoke! On skin, wet: Sarsaparilla, almond milk, tobacco, patchouli and bark (all of which I smell, amazingly enough) make for a very... odd combination. Sweet and unassuming, with a strane, cool bite to it. On skin, dry: There's something unsettling about this. I don't think I like the way almond milk, smoke, and pine smell together. The longer it's on, the weaker the almond milk becomes, and the stronger the tobacco smoke and pine become, until nothing remains but those notes. Conclusion/Notes: I love almond milk, and tobacco can be gorgeous on me, but the other notes don't do much for me, so I'm not surprised this didn't work out. I'll say this: I've never smelled anything quite like it.

Rating (on skin): 5/5 Summarised in a word or two: Dorian on steroids! Pre-review thoughts: Theo sounds perfectly divine, but for the iffy jasmine leaf. In the imp: Beloved white musk! and a bit of vanilla and tea leaves. On skin, wet: Oh, damn it all. Jasmine. Beyond that, however, lies a very tempting mixture of citrusy Earl Grey, white musk, and vanilla. This may yet turn out well. On skin, dry: I agree absolutely with LiberAmoris' "Dorian. On. Steroids" comment. This is indeed a stronger, less sweet, darker and more "masculine" version of my e'er-beloved Dorian. Where Dorian boasts sugared darker (to my nose) tea and lemon, Theo's got Earl Grey (and thus bergamot) sex-appeal in spades. A waft of jasmine here and there, but nothing close to the overpowering Jasmine Show I normally encounter with jasmine notes. Theo is citrusy, vanilla-laden tea-covered sex-in-a-bottle, and I am most definitely a fan. Conclusion/Notes: Fan, yes; wearer? Perhaps not. Dorian's more my own style, as far as scents I wear myself go. Doesn't mean I don't positively adore Theo, though, of course. This would be pefect on the Boy I'm half-dating, so I'll be picking up a bottle of this post haste, to bathe him in force him to wear.

Rating (on skin): 3/5 Summarised in a word or two: Candy! In the bottle: Sugary guava! On skin, wet: This kind of reminds me of those tiny little fruit-shaped candies one gets from coin machines inside groceries and the like. Specifically, banana meets orange. It has that that same, chalky white quality to it. On skin, dry: If Xanthe were a colour, I imagine it as a light pink, with twisting veins of yellow-orange. Very fruity, warm, sweet and spicy. I can't put the thought of those teeny, bright-coloured candies out of my head when sniffing this. Oddly, this isn't the first BPAL scent to invoke the memory of those things. I don't know why, but there's almost something alcoholic to this. It's not a boozey smell per se: it just smells as though it might have some small alcoholic content to it. Conclusion/Notes: Very nice, but not my usual fare. I have a decant left over from a last-minute back-out in my decant circle, and while I think I'll keep it, I doubt I'll be getting more. Also, while I'm very, very un-fond of clowns (IT and Killer Klowns from Outer Space have done me irreparable harm), there's something strangely beautiful about Xanthe. If the image were ever offered in print- or poster-form, I'd have to make room somewhere on my art-filled walls for it.

Edited ETA 22 Oct '06: I take it all back, every negative thing I ever said about MME Moriarty. Below is my revised review. Rating (on skin): 5/5 Summarised in a word or two: Love! Pre-review thoughts: I think out of all the CD's, this one intrigues me most, especially because vanila bean, pomegranate and wild plum and I are very good friends. In the bottle: ....Eek. Red musk. Beneath that, earthy patchouli. Not good; not good at all. On skin, wet: The red musk is by far the strongest note, followed in order by patchouli, vanilla bean, plum, and pomegranate. It's a little woodsy, but a sort of woodsy I'm not terribly familiar with. On skin, dry: Earthy, but not dirty. I recognise all of the listed notes, which is unusual indeed for me! I love the patchouli and vanilla bean in this, and the plum reminds me just a bit of Snake Charmer. The longer it wears, the fruitier it becomes, but it never loses that gorgeous musky-vanillic.. ness. Conclusion/Notes: When I first tried this... well, it wasn't my thing. Too heavy on the patchouli. Just a month later, though, I'm heartily in love. Definitely a cousin of Snake Oil, Snake Charmer, and Smut, but like the others, not similar enough to any of them for me to be able to say "Oh, nice, but I'm happy with X." Nope: I need this as well.

Rating (on skin): 4/5 Summarised in a word or two: Lemon-coconut! Pre-review thoughts: The musk, vanilla, and coconut sound lovely, and could possibly be fantastic on me, but I know my skin, and lemon and opium are never good things on my skin... In the bottle: Smokey... lime? This smells much closer to lime than to lemon. On skin, wet: Very sweet and sugary, almost candyish. It kind of reminds me of Midway. It begins to change almost immediately, becoming much warmer, and very smooth. On skin, dry: It takes a while (about twenty minutes), but the lemon dies down a touch, and it becomes a midly sweet lemon-coconut with a smooth, smokey musk base. It really is lovely; I just wish it got to this stage quicker. Conclusion/Notes: I'm not a big fan until the drydown, as I don't really care for strong lemon notes. However, I'm quite the fan of it after it dries, so I might yet pick up a bottle of this soon. I'd just have to remember to apply it twenty or so minutes before I want to be smelled.

Rating (on skin): 4/5 Summarised in a word or two: Chocolate! Pre-review thoughts: I am absolutely, positively un-foody, but I'm curious all the same. In the bottle: OK. Un-foody as I am, this still smells effing great in the bottle. Pure, creamy chocolate. On skin, wet: Chocolate! Thick, sweet chocolate and nothing else. On skin, dry: Thick, rich, warm, creamy, tooth-rotting chocolate. I've been Vegan for a few years now, and I haven't missed the taste of chocolate very much at all, but if I had/did, this would probably send me over the edge and right into a gas-station chocolate-buying frenzy. Surprisingly enough, this doesn't turn to chocolatey dust on me, as almost all chocolate/cocoa notes do. Conclusion/Notes: I shouldn't, but I like this. A lot. I'd probably never wear it (again: un-foody), but then again, who knows, when the mood strikes? Either way, I think I'll be buying a bottle before it leaves town next year, just in case.

Rating (on skin): 2/5 Summarised in a word or two: Spicy flowers. Pre-review thoughts: I was a little leery of the opium smoke and Eastern flowers, but there was absolutely no way I could not get this. In the bottle: How odd. Smoke, musk and flowers. I'm not sure if chrysanthemum is among the flowers I'm smelling, though, because I don't have much experience with chrysanthemum in perfume. On skin, wet: Smoke and red musk. Unfortunately, I'm not a big fan of either, so this isn't an ideal situation. However, it becomes a bit spicy almost instantly, which is a good sign. On skin, dry: Flowery, musky, spicy smoke. I'm still not sure how much the flower-y smell I'm getting is chrysanthemum, but it doesn't really matter, because this is very flowery on me. Conclusion/Notes: Alas, a bit too floral. A nice, rich, warm and spicy floral, but floral all the same, and that's like kiss of death for me.

Rating (on skin): 3/5 Summarised in a word or two: Minty tea with lemon and honey. Pre-review thoughts: Moroccan Mint tea? That would be wonderful. In the imp: Orange blossom and tea leaf. Nice, but faint. On skin, wet: Lemongrass and honey. So far, no mint or sugar cane in sight. On skin, dry: Very slowly, the mint starts to appear, but it's a very mellow, warm mint. The honey and lemongrass are still the dominant notes, and as much as I'd hope, this isn't sweet at all. On the contrary, it's musky without any musk. It's very much a close-to-the-skin scent on me, with very little throw, and it fades away completely within about an hour. Granted, I only used a drop because the bottle's for a decant circle, but a drop's usually more than enough for one wrist. Conclusion/Notes: Nice, but a little too thick on the honey and lemongrass for me to really enjoy. Besides, I'd have to slather to smell it more than a few inches from my wrist, so maybe it's for the best.

Rating (on skin): 4/5 Summarised in a word or two: Wintery! Pre-review thoughts: I love cranberry and am a huge fan of cedar (even if I can't wear it often), so I'm very intrigued by the Jersey Devil. However, I'm not big on pine, so I'm also a bit wary. In the imp: Cranberry, cedar, and pine. Very cooling pine, which reminds me of Yule/Christmas-time. Hmm. On skin, wet: Berry-ish pine. It does remind me of Skadi, but berry-y instead of citrus-y. Very cool and herbal. I shouldn't, given the strong pine, but I really like this. On skin, dry: This is perfectly wintry. It'd be perfect for the dead of December, but probably not, say, the dead of July. It's a very seasonal scent to me. Conclusion/Notes: I like, but don't love, this. Since I couldn't see myself wearing this year-round, I might just hunt down another imp, or maybe a partial bottle, since I'm the antithesis of a slatherer. Either way, I'll definitely be wearing this when it starts to snow, whether it be from the imp or a bottle.

Rating (on skin): 5/5 Summarised in a word or two: Gorgeous. Pre-review thoughts: I'm hoping Lyonesse smells on me the way it apparently does on Andrabell. In the imp: Oh. Vanilla, musk and amber! On skin, wet: Absolutely beautiful vanilla, musk, amber, with a woody, ambergris-thick base. On skin, dry: A very musky, earthy, slightly woody vanilla-amber fragrance. It has just a bit of the soft, fuzzy-ness I got from BPAL's white musk single note, but I don't think the musk in this is white musk. I usually don't care for mosses of any sort, but Lyonesse's sea moss gives a surprisingly wonderful earthiness. The slightly-salty tang of ambergris keeps it from being too soft, or too fuzzy. Conclusion/Notes: This is definitely, absolutely a bottle purchase. I wonder how this would layer with a sugary vanilla oil I have...

Rating (on skin): 2/5 Summarised in a word or two: Soap. Pre-review thoughts: I really don't know how it will smell, but I'm hoping for a (white) musky mint. In the bottle: Green tea and white musk! A good sign. On skin, wet: A very faint mint, lovely white musk, and... lime. Damn it all. I don't like lime, at all. The green tea is already threatening to go soapy. On skin, dry: And there it goes. Minty, just a bit musky green tea soap. The seaspray adds something almost salty to it, which is very interesting, but not exactly something I dig. I wish my skin could handle tea notes better. Conclusion/Notes: Alas, F5 and I are not meant to be. Well, I'm sure my two bottles will find happy homes elsewhere.

Rating (on skin): 4/5 Summarised in a word or two: Cedar! Pre-review thoughts: Goth sage and bay leaf dislike me greatly, so I'm testing this purely out of curiosity. In the imp: Sage! On skin, wet: Cedarwood and sage. Though I can't wear it myself very often, I'm actually very fond of cedar. Here, it's warm, solid, and just a bit dusty. The sage and bay leaf are surprisingly muted, and add a lend a nice green quality to the blend. On skin, dry: Damn but this is strong! I, shockingly, really like this. It kind of... comforting, in an odd way I can't place. It hasn't changed very much from its wet stage, save to become a little musky, and become much stronger. Conclusion/Notes: I like Lear, but it's not something I'd ever wear. I'm single at the moment, but I'll probably keep the imp on hand to test on whatever fellow I next occupy my time with. Come to think of it, I may need a second imp — I have a male friend this would probably be fabulous on.

Rating (on skin): 2/5 Summarised in a word or two: Smokey. In the imp: Eek, patchouli? On skin, wet: Musky, very earthy. Cedar, patchouli, perhaps incense, and maybe cinnamon? I'm not very clear on the notes in this. It's very thick, almost heady. It smells very familiar, as though I've come across this imp before. On skin, dry: Spicy, warm, smokey. It does indeed remind me of Snake Oil, but Snake Oil is sweeter, a bit lighter, and, of course, has that amazing sugared vanilla element. This is like a more smokey, much less sweet Snake Oil. Conclusion/Notes: Unfortunately for FoL, one of the things I love most about Snake Oil is its beautiful, sugary vanilla. It's close, but no cigar for me. Also, since I'm happil single, I've only tested this as a scent, and I don't intend on attempting to use it in any other way.

Rating (on skin): 2/5 Summarised in a word or two: Soap. Pre-review thoughts: I'm hoping for a amber-y vanilla musk. I'm not sure what I'll actually get, though. In the imp: Hmmm. A little musky, but nothing beyond that. On skin, wet: Amber, musk, daisy, lemon and... ylang-ylang. Evil, cruel, blend-ruining ylang-ylang. On skin, dry: Ylang-ylang and... soap. Hmm. I'm not sure what note's my skin is turning into soap, but that's exactly what it smells like. Flowery, golden, faintly musky soap. Conclusion/Notes: Alas, ETF and I are not to be.

Rating (on skin): 2/5 Summarised in a word or two: Jasmine and lime. Pre-review thoughts: Knowing my skin? I'm betting this'll be a mess of jasmine and lime. In the imp: Berries, lime and strong jasmine. Surprisingly nice. On skin, wet: Eek, lime! Fresh lime, yes, but lime all the same. I'm not big on lime. On skin, dry: Flowery (jasmine) lime and earthy opponax. I don't think there's a single note in this that, at the moment, agrees with my skin. Conclusion/Notes: Nice for what it is, but not my normal fare.

Rating (on skin): 1/5 Summarised in a word or two: Rose. Pre-review thoughts: Violet? Calla lily? Rose? Eep. Big eep. In the imp: Rose and cally lily! Not good. On skin, wet: Dry rose and that evil, evil calla lily, ruiner of blends and choker of Shannon. On skin, dry: Nothin' but rose and calla lily now. The rose, as it's wont to do, has become a little acrid and sour, and very strong. Conclusion/Notes: I get no violet from this, but the rose more than makes up for its absence. Le sigh. My skin just can't handle rose.

Rating (on skin): 0/5 Summarised in a word or two: Evil rose. Pre-review thoughts: Neither roses (aka the Bane of My BPAL-related Existence) nor lemon generally agree with me, so I'm trying this purely because I can't let an un-tested imp scamper past me un-molested. ;D In the imp: Surprise, surprise! Rose and a hint of apple. On skin, wet: Sour rose already. Not good at all, I'm afraid. On skin, dry: Sour, decaying rose. The lemon adds something acrid and exceedingly unpleasant to this. It smells... atrocious. Not a fault at all of the blend itself, of course; my skin just will not tolerate rose. No sign of the apple, which is just as well, I suppose. Conclusion/Notes: Unsurprisingly, Delirium doesn't work for me.