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BPAL Madness!

Ajila

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Everything posted by Ajila

  1. Ajila

    Zephyr

    In the bottle – Sharp florals and sandalwood Wet on me – All the florals are making me sneeze, but I think I get a touch of vanilla Dry on me – Again the florals dominate with the sandalwood in the background Overall – Not really my cup of tea
  2. Ajila

    Two, Five & Seven

    In the bottle – Unsurprisingly, rose. Oddly it smells like the rose in rose flavoured Turkish delight – whether this means it’s Turkish rose I don’t know Wet on me – Again with the roses; soft, luscious, slightly powdery and slightly sweet Dry on me – As they dry the roses become darker and harder, but still keep an edge of sweetness Overall – I’m amazed to say I like this, what with this and Katrina von Tassel, I could be becoming a convert to rose scents
  3. Ajila

    Tenochtitlan

    In the bottle – Something sweet and sickly. Does prickly pear smell like pears? Because, if so, that’s what I think it is Wet on me – Again that almost fruity sweetness, but tempered by something floral and something bitter Dry on me – It settles to a sweet, but not foody, dry musk Overall – Actually, I like this a lot more than I anticipated. I don’t think I’ll need a bottle, but I’ll certainly hold on to my imp
  4. Ajila

    Katrina van Tassel

    In the bottle – Lush, sweet, slightly peppery roses. I feel I should add that I fall into the camp that ordered this despite the rose rather than because of it and yet I quite like this full on rose in the bottle Wet on me – Lush, heavy roses Dry on me – The roses continue to dominate shot through with rich, deep honey Overall – It’s weird, I’m not really keen on roses (as a scent on me) but I could see myself wearing this, it’s got an old fashioned sophistication, but without being too grown up for me, which is quite a juggling act to pull off
  5. Ajila

    Sticky Pillowcase

    In the bottle –Unsurprisingly sweet; strawberries, molten sugar and something of the Lush ‘Rock Star’ scent Wet on me – A sharp fruitiness comes out from underneath all the sweetness. There is something oddly clean about it all Dry on me – It’s all molten sweetie goodness, but for some reason it never quite melds; it just sits off the surface of my skin Overall – I’m going to have to experiment wit this, because on paper I should love it and I can’t work out why it isn’t working for me
  6. Ajila

    Pumpkin V (2008)

    In the bottle – Pumpkin and sweet candylike strawberries Wet on me – The sweet strawberries remain prominent with a slight bitterness as well as the buttery pumpkin Dry on me – I disappeared quite quickly leaving only a whiff of pumpkin Overall – I expected to like this, and I didn’t dislike it, but it was gone so quickly I didn’t really get time to adjust
  7. Ajila

    Pumpkin IV (2008)

    In the bottle – The pine is a sharp distinct scent, backed by the butter pumpkin and the smoke in the background Wet on me – Now the pumpkin dominates, but is cut through by the pine and the smoke Dry on me – Sweet, almost cloyingly heavy honey and vanilla on top of the already rich pumpkin Overall – This is just too much for me, and I like sweet blends
  8. Ajila

    Pumpkin III (2008)

    In the bottle – Buttery rich pumpkin punched through by the mint and the lemon verbena and the grapefruit Wet on me – The sharpness of the citrusy notes cuts through the richness of the pumpkin. I get mainly grapefruit Dry on me – sweet, but fresh and still soft, the citrus forms the main part of the blend with the pumpkin forming an unusual backdrop Overall – I think I like this, although I’m not certain if I would wear it. The almost candylike combination of the sweet citrus and the creamy pumpkin is certainly pleasing
  9. Ajila

    Pumpkin II (2008)

    In the bottle – Pumpkin and pineapple?!? Wet on me – Buttery pumpkin Dry on me – Pumpkin and ashes Overall – This just didn’t work on me
  10. Ajila

    Pumpkin I (2008)

    Pumpkin with mango, persimmon, coconut, and myrrh. In the bottle – At first (oddly I suppose) a waft of cinnamon and then the buttery pumpkin and a digestive biscuit sort of scent Wet on me – Predominantly a biscuity, buttery scent with a touch of the mango and the coconut Dry on me – The buttery (sometimes overly so) scent of the pumpkin remains the predominant note throughout Overall – I guess that I would like to have seen more of a showing from some of the other notes
  11. Ajila

    Needle in a Haystack

    In the bottle – All I get is sweet, buttery pumpkin Wet on me – Sun bathed hay and a sparkle of something sweet Dry on me – The sweet butterish scent of the pumpkin returns and dominates Overall – Quite a nice sort of scent, but not one that blows me away, which I’m quite glad about as it could be difficult to find a replacement
  12. Ajila

    Mictecacihuatl

    In the bottle – I’d have said honey, and possibly the copal and a hint of the roses Wet on me – At first that honey (the agave nectar?) and an incense scent, but that burns of quickly to a powdery, sickly baby sort of scent Dry on me – The warm dry spices and the tobacco come through Overall – I like the dry down, although I felt it was a little unsettling. A work colleague, whom I am attempting to enable, greatly admired it so I may pass it on to her
  13. Ajila

    The Jersey Devil

    In the bottle – Sweet cranberries and that distinctive tomato leaf smell Wet on me – The sweet cranberries with an almost liquorice after scent Dry on me – The sweet berries remain the dominant scent finally being followed by the wood of the cedar Overall – I like this more than I expected, but I doubt that it’ll be a favourite
  14. Ajila

    Huesos De Santo

    In the bottle – Orange, that slightly sharp cheese cake I get a from a lot of the ‘dessert’ blends, and custard Wet on me – The orange comes through as the main scent with the anise and then the custard in the background Dry on me – Sweet, creamy cake with a slightly tart citrus edge Overall – On paper I should love this, but somehow I don’t and I don’t know why
  15. Ajila

    Hellhound on My Trail

    In the bottle – I don’t really smell anything just a hint of vanilla Wet on me – The first hit is warm spices then it becomes a soapy, herby sort of scent with the vanilla behind it Dry on me – It dries to a pretty straight up vanilla Overall – I do like the vanilla, but I think it could do with something else
  16. Ajila

    Harvest Moon 2008

    In the bottle – Fir and cedar – I hope they burn off on my skin as they are the notes I least wanted from this blend Wet on me – Still mainly fir, but with a bit of sweetness coming through Dry on me – A faint, clean musk, with an edge of the fruit Overall – Much softer and cleaner than I expected, I’m not certain it’s something I’d wear
  17. Ajila

    Gunpowder

    In the bottle – Cut hay, with possibly a hint of the molasses in the back ground Wet on me – Dark musk, the oats and something a bit grimy Dry on me – Ack! Stale cigarette smoke Overall – I don’t know what did it to this blend, but I can’t wear it on my skin at all
  18. Ajila

    Fearful Pleasure

    In the bottle – A tiny bit of spice and then pure apple Wet on me – Again the apple; this time laying on a bed of sassafras Dry on me – A sweet, soft musk with just a hint of soft, rounded apples Overall – Much, more delicate and feminine than I expected, but on the whole very pleasing
  19. Ajila

    Day of the Skulls

    In the bottle – Something vaguely like tropical fruit. With a lot of soapiness in the background Wet on me – Rose and other flowers with a hint of the beeswax Dry on me – Almost a honey sweetness with a dry intense incense. Oddly this is a scent that takes me right back to reading Lord of the Flies when I was 11 Overall – Literary distractions aside, the dry down is fantastic and something I will quite happily wear time and time again
  20. Ajila

    John Barleycorn

    In the bottle – I presume that it’s the barley, but I would say it smells like malt extract Wet on me – A dark, thick scent, I can best describe as savoury treacle Dry on me – A warm, hoppy scent Overall – It’s very unusual; I’ve never come across anything like it in BPAL or elsewhere. It’s not an immediate love, but I feel it may grow on me
  21. Ajila

    Ave Maria Gratia Plena

    A pale, delicate, truly angelic blend. A scent created to emulate Adonis' halo of beauty: fragile, distant, and radiant. Rosewood with Sicilian lemon peel, red Mysore sandalwood, pale musks, sweet mountain sage and a dusting of lily, night-blooming jasmine and orris. In the bottle – All I get is jasmine Wet on me – Jasmine is the main note, with possibly a hint of the orris Dry on me – A soft, powdery, dry floral Overall – The dry down is inoffensive, although not my thing, but I really don’t get on with jasmine
  22. Ajila

    Penumbra

    In the bottle – The only note that I can really pick out is the lavender, but there is something sitting on top, which I can only assume is the purple musk Wet on me – The lavender remains dominant, but that purple musk is still in force Dry on me – The lavender is the only note that ever takes shape. There’s a little juice from the fruit, but nothing ever really defined Overall – On me it’s a bit of a nothing scent – not even a top lavender blend
  23. Ajila

    Manhattan

    In the bottle – Predominantly grapefruit Wet on me – The lemon peel and, I think, the kush with a hint of the teakwood. A bright clear scent with warm undertones Dry on me – A warm, slightly spicy vanilla scent that fades out to nothing Overall – It was pleasant enough, but very faint and what there was faded quickly
  24. Ajila

    Kumiho

    In the bottle – Fresh, bright and lemony Wet on me – To me it still smells pretty lemony, but now I can smell the tea, and also freshly cut grass Dry on me – Faint lemon Overall – It’s a nice enough blend, but it doesn’t really excite me
  25. Ajila

    Irrelevant and Disturbing Surreal Crawdad Dream

    In the bottle – Many layers in one sniff. First the fruits, sweet with the slightest edge. Then the warm, spicy ginger. Then the softness of the vanilla and the benzoin. And then, almost as an afterthought, the refreshing green tea Wet on me – Sweet blueberries with just a hint of the green tea and the vanilla coming through strong in the background Dry on me – It must be the coriander, but it smells like patchouli to me. I does go through a brief dust period, but settles into a warm, spicy vanilla Overall – I’m in two minds; the patchouli/dust period isn’t great, but both the before and after are. I think it would make a great room scent in an oil burner
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