Aredhel

Rating (on skin): 1/5 Summarised in a word or two: Rosy incense. Preconceived notions: The carnation and amber musk sound wonderful; the other notes, however... In the imp: Smoke, amber, musk, carnation, and just a hint of rose. On skin, wet: Rose, amber musk and carnation. Slightly smokey, but nothing overpowering. Yet. On skin, dry: Musky, smokey rose. Rose is always very strong on my skin, so I'm not surprised it's become a rose-heavy scent, but I'm still a little disappointed. The rose is a bit sour and bitter, and the incense is just too strong. Conclusion/Notes: Nope, not for me.

Rating (on skin): 0/5 Summarised in a word or two: Calla lily. Preconceived notions: I'm more than a bit wary of this. Sandalwood, rose and fra In the imp: Sweet and... not bad. Not great, but I'm not running away in terror. On skin, wet: ...Okay, I've smelled this before. But where, and what is it? It smells kind of... sour. Bad. On skin, dry: JULIET. That's where I've smelled this before, and this is exactly what I get with Juliet. Going by the notes, it must be the calla lily. It's very soapy. I know I've smelled soap like this somewhere. Hmm. I thought the evil note in Juliet had been sweet pea. Conclusion/Notes: Well, I know two things: I don't like this, and I don't like calla lily. And now I'm suddenly unsure of sweet pea.

Rating (on skin): 1/5 Summarised in a word or two: Musky pine. Preconceived notions: On one hand, I'm hoping for something predominantly white musky; on the other (the hand that realises how scarce KoD is) is hoping it's awful. In the imp: Pine and lavender? Surprising. On skin, wet: Ew, sharp pine and something vaguely like lemon. Not at all what I expected. On skin, dry: There's an earthy quality to this that just does not agree with my skin, somehow. It's very musky indeed, but a weird, darker musk. That, combined with the pine (needles, specifically) makes for something a bit unpleasant. Conclusion/Notes: This is just not for me. Pine tends to turn distinctly plastic, and the musk was kind of weird.

Rating (on skin): 3/5 Summarised in a word or two: Brownies! Preconceived notions: Honestly? I'm skeptical. I don't like foody scents, after all. In the imp: Brownie batter! Not the finished product, no: the makings of brownies. On skin, wet: There's something different about this chocolate, compared to Bliss, Velvet, etc. This should be dusty and dry already, like the other chocolate and cocoa blends. But, it's... not. On skin, dry: Rich, gooey brownies. Not dry or dusty at all, but very warm and moist. There's really not much else to say; it's not a complex blend, of course. It's a brownie! Conclusion/Notes: I'm impressed at how very much it really smells like a true brownie, but as I said: I don't like foody scents, so Lump of Coal's not my thing.

Rating (on skin): 1/5 Summarised in a word or two: Lavender-cinnamon. Preconceived notions: I'm betting on a cinnamony blend. In the imp: Cinnamon and... lavender. Not good. On skin, wet: Warm cinnamon and sharp, biting lavender. I love cinnamon, but lavender and I... not friends. On skin, dry: An odd combination, lavender and cinnamon. The cinnamon calms down as it dries, and the lavender becomes much stronger, easily the dominant note. Loud, spicy lavender. Conclusion/Notes: Cinnamony lavender, but lavender all the same. I'm not a lavender fan, so I won't be seeking this out in bottle form.

Rating (on skin): 1/5 Summarised in a word or two: Anise. Preconceived notions: Star anise almost always ruins blends for me, so I'm not too optimistic. In the imp: Sweet cherry blossom and anise! On skin, wet: Oddly enough, this kind of smells like strawberry ice cream. Beneath that, the tell-tale tang of anise. After it calms down, it settles into cherry blossom and, well anise. On skin, dry: Anise, anise, anise. It's the Anise show! It's not unpleasant in this blend, it's just.... very strong, not what I was hoping for, and not a note I particularly care for. The cherry blossom lingers, but only beneath the anise, far in the background. Conclusion/Notes: A blend that smells like Anise single note with a brief hint of cherry blossom? No thanks.

Rating (on skin): 1/5 Summarised in a word or two: Weird. Preconceived notions: Given its notes, I highly doubt this will work for me, but I'll try it anyway. In the imp: Lilac, juniper and red musk. Not good so far. On skin, wet: Hello, juniper! My, my, you are a strong one, aren't you? Strong, sharp juniper, musky and dry, and just a wee bit floral. On skin, dry: Floral, musky, sour and heavy on the juniper. This is very weird; I don't like the combination of notes at all, not least of all because I don't even dig any of the notes on their own. Conclusion/Notes: Eh, no. I'm not surprised, but it happened into my hands, so I had to try it.

Rating (on skin): 1/5 Efficacy (if applicable): N/A Summarised in a word or two: Hot flowers. Preconceived notions: I'm not interested in its Voodoo properties, so I'll be reviewing this soley as a perfume. In the imp: A waxy, white floral. On skin, wet: Warm and waxy, a strong, girly floral scent. Something sweet and green as well — maybe cucumber? It's oddly warm. On skin, dry: Hot flowers and cucumber. Weird and too warm, and not something I'd be keen to wear, voodoo properties or not. Conclusion/Notes: I have no interest in attraction anyone, so I haven't (and don't plan to) test its efficacy. I tried it as a perfume, and it's just not something I care for.

Rating (on skin): 2/5 Summarised in a word or two: Ozone-y lavender. Preconceived notions: The lavender makes me wary, but I'll give it a go if only for the white musk and ozone notes. I'm hoping for a slightly fruity, ozone-y white musk. In the imp: White Musk! Oy, but I do so love BPAL's white musk. A hint of lavender as well, but oddly enough, it's not unpleasant in the imp. On skin, wet: White muuuusk. Unfortunately, the lavender's very strong from the off. No sign of currant or ozone. On skin, dry: Very weird. Ozone-y and fruity, with strong lavender and resin notes and a background of white musk. Unique and not unpleasant but... very weird. Conclusion/Notes: Were the lavender weaker and the white musk stronger, who knows. As it is.... no.

Rating (on skin): 0/5 Summarised in a word or two: Rose. Preconceived notions: Rose, rose, myrrh, and neroli? I'm curious, but wary. In the imp: Rose! Citrusy, sour rose. On skin, wet: Rose and jasmine. Very incensey, dry and dusty. On skin, dry: Musky rose and jasmine. Flat, un-remarkable and just plain unpleasant to me. Conclusion/Notes: Rose notes are the bane of my BPAL-related existance, yet as I really do like fresh rose scents, I keep trying these, and they keep bombing. Damn it all.

Rating (on skin): 1/5 Summarised in a word or two: Floral. Preconceived notions: The jasmine and tea rose could swing this either way. I'm hoping for a gardenia-rose scent. In the imp: Rose, gardenia and jasmine. On skin, wet: Gardenia, rose and jasmine. Very strong, this one, and, of course, exceptionally floral. Way too floral so far, the rose far too strong. On skin, dry: As it's wont to do, the jasmine makes my nose tingle. There's absolutely no sign of vanilla here. It's very... flat, stale, generic floral perfume on me, and I don't care for it at all. It smells like something my Great Aunt wears. Conclusion/Notes: Girly flowers that smell like my 89 year-old Aunt? Nope. Pass.

According to a quick search through my database, there are several GCs with Fig: Dragon's Heart, Nephilim, Nemesis, The Apothecary, Carnal, Hetairae, Eden, Gomorrah, Hanging Gardens, Intrigue, Mata Hari, Strangler Fig and Tweedledum. And, of course, Freak Show, Cerberus and King of Clubs.

Rating (on skin): 0/5 Summarised in a word or two: Dirt and roses. Preconceived notions: If the dirt notes are anything like those in the King of Clubs, this probably won't work. In the imp: Rose, vanilla and... earth. Yep, the same earth as in the King. This does not bode well. On skin, wet: Roses and earth. Something else as well... maybe incense and vanilla? It kind of reminds me of Zombi, but with something else I just can't place. On skin, dry: Ah, yes, Zombi. Zombi and currant. Very flat, dusty and dirty, and not at all my bag. Conclusion/Notes: Alas, neither the King or Queen worked for me at all, but, given the "deep, dark earth" notes, it's really not a surprise.

Rating (on skin): 1/5 Summarised in a word or two: Dirty almonds. Preconceived notions: My hopes aren't getting very high with this: earth, dark musk, oakmoss, sage and vetiver? Eep. In the imp: Sweet, almondy dirt. On skin, wet: Sweet, spicy dirt. Distinctly Zombi-esque, this one. I definitely get almond, amber and musk, but they're buried beneath a thick coating of earth. On skin, dry: Dirty almonds. There's really nothing else I can say except, well, dirty almonds. Conclusion/Notes: This was one of those "Hmm. Well, I might as well give it a try" scents. Didn't work out.

Rating (on skin): 1/5 Summarised in a word or two: Patchouli and musk. Preconceived notions: The white peach, amber and golden musk could make for a wonderful scent. The patchouli could go either way, depending on it's of the distinctly-hippie-ish variety. In the imp: Scherezade? What the... this smells like Scherezade! Or, well, like something in it. Maybe the musk? Eep. The musk in Scherezade hates me. On skin, wet: Fuity, dirty and rancid. That would be the peach, the musk and the patchouli. I'm surprised about the musk bit: the lighter musks usually turn out fabulously; it's usually just the darker musks that turn out badly. Hmm. Anyway, it's very dirty and earthy and almost "brown." On skin, dry: Patchouli and musk. Not good, this, and there's not much else to say. Conclusion/Notes: Not for me, this one. Not at all.

Rating (on skin): 1/5 Summarised in a word or two: Hot and dusty. Preconceived notions: I have no idea what this will smell like, but I've been wanting to try it for about a year now. (I have no idea why I never just bought an imp of it, but that's entirely beside the point.) In the imp: Woodsy and dry. I can't pick out specific notes, except maybe sweet grass? On skin, wet: Holy... sweet grass and... dust. How very odd. And sweet! I like grassy notes, but not straight up, suh-weet! grass. Um. On skin, dry: Scorched woods and sweet grass. There's something about this that heads straight to the back of my throat and kind of tingles. It's an exceptionally dry, hot scent complete with sweet grass and dust. Conclusion/Notes: Sweet and hot and dry, and distinctly dusty? Nope, don't think so.

Rating (on skin): 1/5 Summarised in a word or two: Lavender. Preconceived notions: I'm a little wary about the lime and lavender, but the herbs and mint could be lovely. In the imp: *sigh* Lavender. A little mint, sure, but mostly? Lavender. On skin, wet: Minty lavender. Smells like... well, urine. Lavender tends to smell like cat urine on me, and mint doesn't help. No, it doesn't help a bit. On skin, dry: Rotting, foul and urine-like lavender, sharp lime and mint. Oh no, this is not good. It's very tart and sour. Dry, it reminds me of Mad Hatter — might the mint be pennyroyal? You'd think it'd be listed as "pennyroyal" instead of just "mint" if so, but it does smell like pennyroyal. Either way, the lavender's ruined it for me. Conclusion/Notes: Does lavender ever work for me? Seems not.

Rating (on skin): 2/5 Summarised in a word or two: Herbal, woodsy shea. Preconceived notions: After falling head-first for Obatala, the words "the soft shea he shares with Obatala" convinced me to track this down. I love herbal notes, and woodsy notes can, at times, be divine, so, who knows. In the imp: Shea and herbs! This could end well. On skin, wet: Generic pine-related cleaning fluid? The hell? Creamy, yes, but also very pine-y and woodsy. But... cleaning fluid. On skin, dry: Sharp and herbal, this one. There's definitely a grassy base to this of some sort, but not a freshly-cut grass; more like a grassy field in the middle of a forest, more brown than green. The shea lingers, and obviously reminds me very much of Obatala, but there's an unsettling sweetness about it, one that I've noticed in some scents (BPAL and non) with grassy qualities. Conclusion/Notes: Nice, but a little too... nature-y, lord-of-the-forest for me, somehow.

Rating (on skin): 4/5 Summarised in a word or two: Apple blossom! Preconceived notions: I acquired an imp of this not long after it'd been discontinued, but I never reviewed it, here or anywhere, so I can't remember what I thought of it. Judging by its notes, it sounds lovely. In the imp: Crisp, slightly spicy (ginger!) grapefruit and tea! On skin, wet: Grapefruit and tea! There's a fair chance this could go soapy, unfortunately, judging by the tea. Oh, and apple blossom! The house my family settled into had half a dozen apple trees in the back-yard, so I know that note very well. On skin, dry: Apple blossom! There's a bit of grapefruit floating in the background, but this is primarily an apple blossom scent. I haven't come across many apple blossom scents that smell authentic — they almost always smell like plain old apple, usually with a few white floral notes thrown in. Not the same thing. As fond as I am of apple blossom in, say, candles and lotions, I'm not entirely sold on the idea of smelling like them. Conclusion/Notes: Absolutely lovely, and very surprising (I was expecting either soapy tea or bite-my-face-off grapefruit), but not something I'd wear as a perfume. I might eventually scent a bit of unscented lotion with an imp or two, though.

Rating (on skin): 2/5 Summarised in a word or two: Fruity amber. Preconceived notions: ...Huh. I was absolutely positive I'd reviewed this, but apparently not? Anyway, this could go either way. I love amber, and pear can be lovely, but safe and I have problems, and tulip poppy I'm unsure of. In the imp: Amber and sweet pear, with a bit of sage. On skin, wet: Amber and pear in equal amounts; nothing spectacular, and pretty straight-forward. Sage as well, but not such as would ruin this for me. On skin, dry: Warm, fruity amber. Interesting and not at all unpleasant, but not "Wow!"-ing, either. It's a fair bit incensey. An hour or so in, the sage, while floating mostly in the background, starts to lend that odd, plastic/dirty green quality to this, which isn't good. Conclusion/Notes: I love the amber in this, but the pear's a touch too fruity, and the sage a bit too strong.

Rating (on skin): 0/5 Summarised in a word or two: Dirt and wine. Preconceived notions: Desiccated? Gritty earth? Red wines? This'll likely turn into something awful on me, but I can't help but be curious. In the imp: My first thought? "Oh, Gods. Zombi." On skin, wet: Dirt. Just... dirt. Dirt and wine. Oh, this is not good at all. On skin, dry: Think, sharp, acrid dirt and fruity, plastic wine. Dirt and wine are such bad notes on me, and together, they're terrible. There's definitely something dark green and herbal as this dries, which, apart from the dirt and wine, is actually fairly pleasant. I love herbal notes. Unfortunately, they're all but smothered by the dirt. Conclusion/Notes: Dirt and wine? Oh hell no.

Rating (on skin): 3/5 Summarised in a word or two: Strange. Preconceived notions: I got this during one of my "let's throw a dart at the phone book and see what we come up with" moods, since some of my favourite BPAL loves (Tzad!) were thrown at me randomly as imps. So, let's see what becomes of this. In the imp: Grapefruit? Well... kinda. Maybe. It's got that similar grapefruit-y, citrusy-y tang, but it doesn't strike me as grapefruit per se. Hmm. On skin, wet: ....What the hell is this? Cinnamon? Orange peel? Yuzu?! This is definitely not what I expected. There's something else, something dark (part of this may be the yuzu), keeping this from being bright and Christmas-y. On skin, dry: Spices, orange peel, maybe ginger, yuzu, something peppery, maybe some kind of dark musk, and... water. Dank, moist, water. Odd, but not wholly unpleasant, strangely enough. Conclusion/Notes: Odd indeed. It'd be interesting to try on a guy, but as I'm single (and no plans to change that), I probably won't keep the imp around. It's certainly too dark and heavy for me at any rate.

Rating (on skin): 3/5 Summarised in a word or two: Juniper-gin! Preconceived notions: I'm actually fairly fond of Cosmopolitans, but I'm not very sure I'd care to smell like one. In the imp: Why, hello, juniper-gin, how're you? Very good, apparently, so why the slap in the face, eh? On skin, wet: Damn, what did I ever do to you, juniper gin? That's pretty much all I get: juniper gin, emphasis on the juniper. Boozey in juniper-gin's way. No sign of anything else that makes a Cosmo a Cosmo. On skin, dry: Well, there's the sour lime, and just a whisper of the raspberry I remember from BPAL's raspberry SN. It's actually very interesting, and I find my nose glued to my wrist. But, would I want to smell of this? Hmm. Conclusion/Notes: No, I don't think I want to smell all juniper-y, and raspberry/lime-y, and slightly booze-y. I'll down a real Cosmo or two, sure, but ideally while smelling like Morocco, or Dorian, or one of my other BPAL loves; The Hamptons, not so much.

Rating (on skin): 1/5 Summarised in a word or two: Musky lavender. Preconceived notions: Well, the grapefruit, currant and chamomile sound lovely, but I'm not so sure about the dark musk or lavender. In the imp: Citrus, musky... lavender. Damn. On skin, wet: Bright, citrusy, slightly musky... lavender. Bloody hell, lavender. Lavender and I aren't on speaking terms; it does all sorts of strange, ass-y things when on my skin. It's also got a bit of a musty (musTy, not musKy) quality about it, care of the dark musk. The addition of the very breezy, cool grapefruit makes the whole scent fairly... odd. On skin, dry: Sharp, citrusy lavender and the faintest hint of chamomile. I really do like the chamomile and grapefruit in this, and were it not for the lavender and musk, I'd be contemplating a bottle. As it is, it's too sharp, musky and, well, lavender-y. Conclusion/Notes: Given the notes, I had a hunch it wasn't meant to be, but when it was resurrected, and I saw all the "Yay, I love Cheshire Cat!" I figured I'd give it a go. Turns out it's a definite no go.

Rating (on skin): 3/5 Summarised in a word or two: Surprising! Preconceived notions: The vetiver, smoke and lemon will likely be the death of Lenore for me, but I'm curious about the musk, saffron and plum. In the imp: Vetiver! Beneath that, lemon peel, smoke, patchouli and musk. Not good musk. This cannot end well. On skin, wet: First off, this is strong. Almost entirely vetiver, though it leaves a bit of room for lemon, smoke, patchouli and musk to peek in and wave their Shannon-hating tentacles around. The saffron beneath it is lovely, however, and I catch a drift of plum now and then. On skin, dry: As it dries, it calms down considerably. It becomes richer, thicker and sweeter, and the plum takes on a more active role. It's still very smokey, but it's not an incensey smoke, or a heady smoke, but a warm, sweet smoke. The saffron lends spice to it, and patchouli grounds it. There's something distinctly cold around the edges, and I catch it when I sniff for a solid few seconds. I think it's the lemon peel, or the musk. My only complaint is that the patchouli lingers dangerously close to "dirty hippie" territory, brown-green as it seems to be here. Conclusion/Notes: I like this much more than I'd ever anticipated. All the same, I'm not head-over-heels for it. If it were still available, I'd probably buy a bottle, and if I see it for sale for a reasonable price, I'll consider it, but I won't be stalking it down on Ebay.