Ajila

In the bottle – Grass and lemon grass (more probably the verbena). Fresh and bright Wet on me – Light and bright and green with a slight citrus tang Dry on me – Green and fresh, like a summer field of wild grasses, with an additional element of burning rubber Overall – Without the rubber this would be quite lovely. I’m developing a collection of bright spring scents almost by accident. I may have to pay that area of the BPAL catalogue more attention

In the bottle – Dr Pepper with a hint of hops Wet on me – Dry slightly bitter tobacco with something slightly syrupy in the background Dry on me – Warm dry tobacco drizzled with lashings of spiced syrup Overall – This is gorgeous. Warm and comforting, but with a dark sensual edge to it

In the bottle – Ginger, hard and fiery but with just a hint of sweetness Wet on me – Bright red ginger Dry on me – It goes woody (I would say sandalwood, which is odd), but sweetened by the honeysuckle Overall – I like this a lot and as someone who is very Libran I can’t help but think that wearing a blend evocative of such a difference sign to my own will be good for me

In the bottle – Cocoa, with a fruit back drop and a hint of spiciness Wet on me – I’m puzzled now, because I smell grapefruit and ginger with the chocolate Dry on me – The spiced fig with a delicate dusting of cocoa is surprisingly light and spring like Overall – So far this is my favourite 13 variation, but it still doesn’t really grab me

In the bottle – Green roses and muddy patchouli Wet on me – On one hand soft and powdery and on the other sharp and green Dry on me – Lush green roses Overall – Roses really aren’t my thing, but if I had to wear them this would be how I would do it

In the bottle – Would it be too straight forward to say it smelt of orchids? A green, fresh and slightly tart floral Wet on me – Slightly overpowering heady orchids Dry on me – Sweet soft powdery orchids Overall – The blend itself is pleasant enough, but it is not something that I would ever wear

In the bottle – Treacle and cider Wet on me – Bright bubbly cider backed with rich gloopy treacle Dry on me – Lightly candied floral, soft and whimsical Overall – I like this a lot. At first it’s like a spring/summer version of Perversion, before drying to a lovely frothy floral reminiscent of Pink Moon 05. This may be a future 5ml purchase

In the bottle – All almond Wet on me – Predominantly almond, with a hint of clove Dry on me – Almonds soft and slightly bitter Overall – Whilst I like almond I would have liked to have smelt some of the other notes

In the bottle – Some sort of harsh air freshener (the ferns I guess) Wet on me – Quite medicinal, I get the black currant and a slight liquoricy tinge that I assume is the absinthe Dry on me – Very faint, but warm and sweetly herbal Overall – What’s there is nice enough, but it’s barely notice able

In the bottle – Soft red apple, with something slightly dirty behind it Wet on me – Plain apple Dry on me – Predominantly apple with occasional wafts of opium Overall – I like this, but it is a little one dimensional on my skin and I can’t see me reaching for it very often

In the bottle – Very little, just a tiny bit of that musky sweet after scent I get from Antique Lace, Morocco and Faith Wet on me – Spicy carnations, that sweet musk and a bit of sharp green. Very nice. Dry on me – Soft clean phlox with a hint of sweet musk Overall – This is very faint, I may try layering it with Pink Moon 05 to see if this softens the 05 version

In the bottle – Lavender Wet on me – Lavender and papery white flowers Dry on me – Washing powder Overall – This was never likely to be a blend for me and my skin turned it to detergent anyway

In the bottle – Spiced patchouli, and strong Wet on me – Spicy, woodsy furniture polish Dry on me – Warm molten sugars Overall – For a while it’s overkill on the patchouli, but settled it’s gorgeous. Like a melting pot of different sugars, which come briefly to the surface one by one

In the bottle – Mint humbugs, brilliant Wet on me – Oooh, this is evil mint humbugs, in the same way that Shub-Niggurath is evil gingerbread Dry on me – Dry dust and ashes, sometimes I hate my skin chemistry Overall – Another compelling argument for the purchase of a scent locket.

In the bottle – Cherries in syrup Wet on me – Something strong and warm, it’s weird, I can smell it, but not what it is Dry on me – Cherryade, becoming warmer and spicier as the day goes on (I put it on at least 14 hours ago and it’s still going strong) Overall – I was a little unsure at first, but the dry down is a triumph. Warm, fruity, comforting and even slightly sensual.

In the bottle – Pineapple juice, I kid you not, that’s all it smells like to me Wet on me – Condensed milk and washing powder and something really acrid, all topped off with a remaining wash of pineapple Dry on me – Sour milk and dust Overall – I’m gutted by this, but my skin chemistry just kills this blend for me

In the bottle – Sweet buttery caramel Wet on me – Sharp berries backed with a hint of rose, which is itself backed by a pastry sort of smell Dry on me – Warm and spiced with a slightly acidic sharpness. It’s like a spiced black current compote Overall – I like it, but for some reason I can’t see myself wearing it, may be I’ll try it again in autumn/winter

In the bottle – To me it smells of cinnamon, so I guess that’s the cassia, with just a hint of the red musk Wet on me – Cherry cola, but with a bitter dirtiness behind it Dry on me – Warm spices that nestle close to the skin Overall – Logically I should love this, but it just doesn’t seem to reach me

In the bottle – Bright sugary fruits, primarily the lime Wet on me – Now the grapefruit and the nectarine come to the fore with a gooey frothy background that I can’t quite place Dry on me – Extremely faint, slightly sweetened musk Overall – This disappears too quickly for me to form any real opinion of it

In the bottle – Sharp red musk Wet on me – Sweet incense (the unguents?) and just a hint of caramel Dry on me – Very little waft, but close to my skin, warm sensual spices, which make you feel pampered Overall – I’m in two minds, the initial incense it too heavy for me and I’d like a little more waft on the dry down, but the final skin scent is gorgeous

In the bottle – Slightly sharp and green, with the orange blossom as the primary factor Wet on me – Sweet green florals Dry on me – Sweet soft powdery blossom Overall – A little faint, but lovely all the same. I may have to experiment to see if I can find something to bulk it up a little

In the bottle – Predominantly the cinnamon with a resinous back drop Wet on me – Dark, dirty myrrhs kick in leaving just a hint of cinnamon bark Dry on me – Warm lightly spiced with a layer of thick myrrh Overall – Considering that I’m not big on myrrh, I was impressed by this blend, however, I doubt that I’ll keep it

In the bottle – The orange pulp and bright green florals Wet on me – Predominantly soap with a slight edge of pepper Dry on me – Sweet soft florals drying down to coffee flavoured sponge cake Overall – I like this, but I’m not crazy about it and my skin did make it soapy initially. One to contemplate think

In the bottle – Lemongrass, very similar to Concentration Wet on me – Primarily lemongrass Dry on me – The woods dominate, soft and spicy Overall – This isn’t really me, but my mum is a yoga teacher so I’ll see what she makes of it

In the bottle – Wood paint? Wet on me – It’s hard to put a finger on it. Sweet, milky, with a touch of cinnamon Dry on me – Very similar to Boomslang, but the very final stage has warmth and spice Overall – I like this but not as much as I expected to. I think I need to try it a few more times before I can assess it without my expectations counting against it