tacey

Count Dracula (decant) I'm not going to try to tease apart the notes here, since I'm a complete newbie at this and everyone above me has done a much better job than I could. I'll just say I'm certain I recognized tobacco -- like a cigar store -- and that's not even a listed note. This is a tough scent. Not necessarily "male", but it's not subtle. This conjures images of a biker dude, with the leather jacket and attitude; definitely not the sleek assassin or swordsman. You don't mess with someone wearing this stuff, because they'll be right in your face -- thuggish. It's heavy, dark, sharp. Is that patchouli or the whole blend? At any rate, I can't wear it, but it's as much the attitude as anything else. Could be great for a day you're feeling it.

Rose Cross My first rose scent! My first impression was "rose powder", but with some thought, I can separate the rose from the frankincense and understand how that blend might seem powdery. It wasn't, I'm just new to all this. It moved around a bit for the first hour or so, deciding how to balance the rose vs the frankincense, but once the argument settled nothing much changed. Short-lasting scent, although my first several oils have all been short, so maybe it's me -- basically gone by lunch. After that hour of argument, I wasn't quite sure this was predominantly even a rose scent. There was a bit of a dusty edge, definitely with roses in the background, something a little purple to the front...greyish purple. Hazy. Think of clouds of incense in a church, only not smokey. I begin to see why so many people were calling it a spiritual rose, now. This is very prayerful. It rises above rose... [if that description means anything at all to you, you've been sniffing the BPAL too long! But it's the best I can do.] I don't think it's a "me" scent, but it's a fascinating introduction to the Lab's rose scents. Thank you, Beth.

Titania Short description: Fruity, flowery -- true, but really doesn't do justice to this one. It's a twilight banquet, outdoors, perhaps a garden, perhaps a pavilion. You can't quite tell -- the fairy glamour baffles your eyes. As you relax in your seat (fashioned from some stony material you can't quite identify, but quite comfortable), barely-seen figures pass behind you carrying trays for the feast. You smell each one as it passes -- the grapes tossed with sweet pea, moments later the peaches surrounded by roses. An elven maiden drifts by wearing moonflowers in her hair. One platter after another, each mingling unearthly fruits with evening flowers. Later, at the end of the feast, you can't quite remember what you ate -- perhaps it was only a dream and you never touched anything. Certainly there is nothing left as evidence; no fruit stains under the arbor, not even the lingering sweetness of the flowers remains to show you experienced a fairy banquet. But the beginning...oh, the beginning...

Manhattan Smelled yummy in the imp, but nothing that I could instantly identify. Once it was on (still wet), it was still nice, and I was able to pick out lemon, something floral (apparently orchid -- so noted), and something I think might be the tea. Very light, so I was more generous in applying. About an hour later, the scent is noticeably changing -- going deeper, smoother. Wow. I'm liking this. 3rd hr, still smells good (warmer & deeper yet), but barely there. Half an hour later, it's not a nice smelling, and really faint. Half an hour after that I actually got a bit of scent wafting by -- very surprising, since I thought it was about over -- and it's nice again. Sorry, really couldn't decipher the notes through these phases. By 11:30 in the morning it's just about gone, but what's left is still yummy. I loved this one wet, and it had some great moments through the dry-down. Didn't last well at all, but I think I'll try it again, either wearing more or maybe with re-application. I felt...happy. It was a confident, adult, in-control-of-my-world smell. Someone above said this is how Sex in the City should smell, and that sounds about right to me. Didn't so much say Manhattan to this non-New Yorker. I never was able to pick out the leather -- this was lemon, tea, and orchid for me. But I'm pretty sure there was other stuff in the background that I don't yet have the experience to isolate. ETA: Second wearing -- I still like it, but it really doesn't last. Pretty gone after about an hour, this time. The orchid was the primary note this time, with everything else staying in the background.

Peitho I tried it twice -- first just casually with a teeny dab in the evening, second time for a full day. Slightly different experiences, apparently because of the amounts I applied. In the imp: Jasmine. Well, actually, more like JASMINE!! Wet: Exactly the same. Jasmine rules, and no one's coming out til she's ready. When I wore the teeny dab: 15 mins later: is that vanilla peeking out? Wow...can it usurp jasmine? 17 mins later: Apparently not. Jasmine is queen bee here. 1 hr: starting to blend a bit -- I get jasmine and vanilla, and maybe something else, but I can't pick it out. Something a touch sweet. 2 hr: Where'd jasmine go? She's stepped down from the throne and left the country. Now it's just a subtle vanilla with that something-else added. Warm, soft, but very subtle. When I put on more: 3 hrs: Jasmine all the way. Jasmine, jasmine, jasmine. Ruling all with no break. 5 hrs: Pretty faded, but still all jasmine. Sharper than when it was fresh. I thought I caught a glimpse of vanilla plotting to overthrow Queen Jasmine, but that never came to anything. There may be some other notes underneath the jasmine, but nothing I can be sure of. This is Jasmine Country!