arabella

First Impression: Burnt sugar - lots of it. Dries down to: Hot candle wax, tar and burnt sugar. Additional Comments: This is absolutely horrible on me. I had such high hopes for this one as I love most of the notes - the only exception being the hops and that's a neutral for me - and I love foody scents. But, it seems the hazelnut and hops are the problems here. They're so strong that the chocolate, vanilla, caramel, toffee, pralines and buttercream are completely indistinguishable. It's the equivalent of taking a newly finished painting and smearing all the colors together - you're left with an unappealing, muddy, gray mess. Lasted: Overnight and then I woke up with a headache and just had to get it off. Rating: 1 out of 5

First Impression: Softly floral and lightly green. Dries down to: A very pretty, whispery floral. Additional Comments: Like its name, it's short-lived. I can't really distinguish the individual notes, although I can detect the presence of violet, calla lily and muguet. The geranium, tea rose and chamomile are even more discreet and the autumn leaves give this blend a nice grounded feel. I'm really happy that the tea rose didn't decide to dominate. The violets are the most obvious and that's what I was hoping for. It's very pretty but very, very light on me. I'd rate it much higher if I didn't have to work as hard to smell it and/or if it lasted longer. Lasted: An hour or so. Rating: 3.5 out of 5

The Spirit of the Divine Messenger, the Lord of the Crossroads, He Who Owns All Doors and Roads in this World. He is the intermediary between the Orishas and mankind, and stands at the intersection of humanity and the Divine. He opens all paths of communication, both mundane and Heavenly. His ofrenda contains coconut, tobacco and sweet, sugared rum. First Impression: Very strong caramel and butterscotch. Dries Down to: A harsh burnt brown sugar note appears and overtakes everything. This lasts for about ten minutes and then the tobacco become very obvious and everything takes on a dryness. Finally, after about half an hour, all the sharp edges disappear and everything blends into a creamy, tropical cocktail. Additional Comments: I don't like this one quite as much as I thought I would. I like every note in it but the proportions don't quite work for me - they're just "off" by a very tiny bit. As I especially love coconut, I'll certainly enjoy the imp but won't bother getting a bottle just yet - maybe, when the imp is gone. Lasted: All day. Rating: 4 out of 5

First Impression: Lemony dragon's blood. Dries down to: The citrussy note fades almost immediately - don't know what it was doing there in the first place - and the musks blossom forth. The balance between the dragon's blood and the musks is spot on. This is gorgeous. Additional Comments: I've only become familiar with dragon's blood recently; but it, along with amber, seems to be my "holy grail" note. This oil, in particular is stunning in its simplicity - definitely bottle-worthy - probably a Top Ten. Lasted: Several hours. Rating: 5 out of 5

The amber necklace of Freyja, Norse Goddess of Love, Sex, Attraction and Fruitfulness. Her magnificent necklace was bough from four Dwarves [Alfrik, Berling, Dvalin and Grer] at the price of four nights of her passion. When Brisingamen graces your throat, no man can resist your charms. A glittering mantle of rich golden notes: five ambers, soft myrtle and apple blossom, myrtle, and carnation. First Impression: Amber. Dries down to: Very faint amber. Additional Comments: This is absolutely lovely - amber is one of my best notes - but it's barely there. I don't pick up on anything but the amber and even that's hard to detect, it's so very, very faint on me. I suppose I could try really slathering it on but there's so many other oils I love that this one's just not worth the effort. Lasted: A couple of hours. Rating: 2.5 out of 5

First Impression: Smoky plums. Dries down to: After a while, rose comes out tentatively and is then joined by lilac. Still later, the berries join the party. Additional Comments: This is another one that surprised me. The rose didn't tromp on everything in sight like she usually does and I couldn't detect the gardenia at all. The opium seems to control the fruit and flowers handily; nothing seems to be "over-the-top". I probably don't need a bottle, but I'll really enjoy the imp. Lasted: A couple of hours. Rating: 3.5 out of 5

First Impression: Sweet tobacco and sandalwood. Dries down to: It mellows into a creamy scent, with woody, smoky, sweet tones; yet, there's a freshness to it. Additional Comments: This is another winner. After checking the scent description, I see there's no tobacco but there is burnt grasses, which must be where I'm getting the tobacco and smoky notes. I definitely pick up the sandalwood - the teak and ebony also give richness to the wood. The sweet tones must come from the wine; the freshness from the ozone; the creaminess from the ambergris. The galbanum acts as the conductor of the whole piece. I have no idea what English Ivy is like, so I can't comment on that component, and I can't say I pick up on the leather either, but this is a beautifully balanced oil. I'm so glad to find a non-foody, non-floral, earthy scent that works so well for me. I think this is my new "comfort" scent to use when I curl up with a good book. Lasted: A couple of hours. Rating: 4.5 out of 5

First Impression: Creamy vanilla very lightly dusted with icing sugar. Dries down to: The same with a hint of - I want to say coconut but it's not - maybe, macadamia nut or even caramel. I'm also guessing there's amber in it (there's usually amber in my favorite BPAL oils). Additional Comments: This could be my new favorite scent. I wish I could pinpoint the notes. There's something in here that keeps the vanilla from becoming cloying, which it can do on my skin - maybe white musk? Lasted: Several Hours. Rating: 5 out of 5

First Impression: Spicy - predominantly clove - with hints of citrus. Dries down to: Still clove and the fruity notes, as well as incense and maybe, patchouli. Additional Comments: It's nice but not as WOW as I'd hoped. I don't get the cinnamon note at all but that's not a problem. I do wish the peach and orange were more assertive. Nevertheless, I'll hang on to the imp. Lasted: a few hours. Rating: 3 out of 5

First Impression: A bouquet garni of spices. Dries down to: A very faint, light spicy scent. Additional Comments: This is so faint - I'm so disappointed. It's lovely but barely there. I thought I was going to rupture my nostrils inhaling it, trying to get a stronger whiff of it. There must be cinnamon in it, because I had this on overnight and my wrists were red, where I had applied it, the next morning. - surprising, because I don't usually have a lot of trouble with cinnamon, and I couldn't even distinguish it here. Oh well, you can't win them all. Lasted: Hard to tell, since it was so faint. Rating: 2 out of 5

First Impression: A wispy, ethereal, haunting, faint floral. Dries down to: One of the loveliest florals yet, but I don't recognize any of the components. The mental image I get is of walking along a high, stone wall in a garden and smelling flowers on the other side and wanting to pick them, but when I get to the end of the wall and look on the other side, there's no flowers to be seen. This is what I imagine addiction feels like - constantly reaching for something that is just out of reach. Additional Comments: I am totally stunned by this one. It's very faint and while I normally prefer much stronger scents, this one was an instant love. I can't get enough of it. It disappears and reappears at will, I can't pin it down but it definitely has a hold on me. I'm surprised at all the reviews that mention rose, though. Rose, normally, amps up incredibly on me; yet, in Beatrice, I don't detect it at all, which is a very good thing. Lasted: Several hours. Rating: 5 out of 5

First Impression: Jasmine Dries down to: Still jasmine but now it's tempered by the other notes, although it remains dominant. Additional Comments: I was hoping the cardamom and black currant would be more evident to me, but they're not. This is another jasmine blend that I can tolerate, once it dries down, but it's just not special enough to warrant buying a bottle. Lasted: An hour or so. Rating: 2.5 out of 5

First Impression: Lemony jasmine. Dried down to: A light, sweet jasmine with lily and citrus undertones - quite lovely and feminine. Additional Comments: This is another blend with jasmine in it that actually works on me. It was a really nice surprise, since they're so few and far between. I wonder if the myrtle is a lemon myrtle since I definitely get citrus notes. I don't detect the clove, sandalwood, musk or vanilla individually but they contribute to the overall creamy, slightly sweet loveliness. I wish it were stronger and longer lasting, though. Lasted: About 2 hours. Rating: 3.5 out of 5

First Impression: Musk Dries down to: A resiny, musky, powerful scent with very distinct wood notes. Additional Comments: This isn't a blend I would wear; it's more of a ritual oil and very masculine smelling - feels very strong and powerful. I like the frankincense, cedar and sandalwood tempered by the ginger-y galangal. I'm not familiar with high john essence - maybe that's the "musky" note I get, which I really don't like. Lasted: A few hours. Rating: 1.5 out of 5

First Impression: Heavy jasmine. Dries down to: A much lighter jasmine, tinged with musk and by something else that gives it an almost airy quality. Additional Comments: I can't distinguish any spices nor the other floral notes but they temper the jasmine to a tolerable level for me. I'm not a big fan of jasmine but I can handle this blend - it's particularly lovely once it dries down but then, it becomes very faint also. If the drydown were stronger, this would rate higher. Lasted: A few hours. Rating: 2.5 out of 5

First Impression: Almonds and citrus. Dries down to: A boiled milk scent appears and the almond/citrus notes tone down. Eventually, they blend together and become a lightly spiced, boiled milk. Additional Comments: I'm way off-base on this one - the description lists red wine, mimosa and clove. The wine seems to manifest as citrus and, now that I think about it, it does remind me a bit of sangria. I'm guessing the mimosa is what gives it the "boiled milk" scent. I can't detect clove at all, so it must be a miniscule amount. This is just very bland on me. Lasted: Less than two hours. Rating: 2 out of 5

First Impression: Fruit and leather. Dries down to: The fruit mellows into a deep, rich wine scent. The leather is no longer obvious and I get a vague hint of underlying florals, but nothing specific. Additional Comments: This is an evening scent to me - one for candlelit dinners at home; definitely not one for the morning after, especially if too much wine was imbibed the night before. I also find it strangely addictive; it keeps drawing me back - it's probably the wine, I love red wine. The other surprising aspect is that the rose doesn't amp up and drown out all the other notes like it usually does. This one's a keeper. Lasted: Several hours. Rating: 4 out of 5

First Impression: Musty cardboard. Dries down to: Body odor, and not in a good way. Additional Comments: I definitely don't like this one. Amber usually works for me but not in this case and the leather and musk are too strong. I love the scent of leather so it's this combination that just doesn't work for me. I'm not familiar with myrrh and it's possible this is the note that's bringing out the worst in the other notes on me. Lasted: Several hours. Rating: 1.5 out of 5

First Impression: Amber, rum, cardamom. Dries down to: A light, slightly spicy scent - perfect for early fall. Additional Comments: The description really surprised me. I could have sworn there was amber because it feels "rich" - must be the rum - and I don't get any floral notes whatsoever, unless there's tobacco flower along with the tobacco leaf. All in all, it's nice but too light for me and doesn't last, either. I'll save it for bedtime as I find it very relaxing and it evokes images of walks on the beach after dark in the Caribbean islands. Lasted: A couple of hours at the most. Rating: 3 out of 5

First Impression: Fruity and floral - possibly, lily of the valley - with a hint of musk giving it some depth. Dries down to: Within 15 minutes, the pear disappeared and it all turned very "soapy" with hints of rose within 1/2 an hour. Additional Comments: The initial fruitiness would have been the pear and it was quite lovely with the lotv. Unfortunately, I didn't like the end result at all. I thought "bois de rose" was actually rosewood but this comes through as plain rose to me and it really "amped" up. I also usually like lotv a lot but not when it goes all "soapy" on me like this did. Another one to try out in a scent locket to see if the initial loveliness lasts longer that way. Lasted: Several hours. Rating: 2 out of 5

First Impression: Strongly green and resin-y. Dries down to: The rose amps up, as it usually does on my skin, and overpowers everything else. Additional Comments: I wish I got more of the vanilla, carnation or tobacco. I like rose but I now have so many scents where the rose is the only note that is easily discernible. It's a slightly spicy rose this time, but still predominantly rose. Nonetheless, it is lovely. Lasted: A couple of hours. Rating: 3 out of 5

First Impression: Resin, musk, herb - very earthy. Dries down to: A deep, earthy scent. Additional Comments: I get no fruit or floral notes, nor any vanilla, at all. Very unusual, because rose normally screams on me. I'm going to let this age a bit and try it down the road. Right now, it's just clods of earth on me. Lasted: A few hours. Rating: 1.5 out of 5

First Impression: A lighter but spicier version of Snake Oil. Dries down to: Light amber and sweet spices. Additional Comments: This is quite lovely - it's faint on me but lasts quite a while, which is rare on my skin. I don't know if it's different enough from some of the other amber oils, i.e. Snake Oil, Dana O'Shee, to buy a bottle but I'll definitely enjoy the imp while it lasts. Lasted: Most of the day. Rating: 4 out of 5

First Impression: Spices - probably, cinnamon among others. Dries down to: A spicy, slightly sweet, woody scent. At one point I thought I got a whiff of dried mushroom but that passed quickly. It's quite light on me. Oh, wait a minute, the dried mushrooms came back - I don't know what's morphing into mushroom on me but it seems to drift in and out. After about 1/2 an hour, the sweetness disappears entirely. Additional Comments: The honey in this one is not too bad on me; it mixes well with the spices, initially, but this "good" phase doesn't last long. Overall, I'm not enamored of this one particularly, the "mushroom" part. Lasted: Several Hours. Rating: 1.5/5

First Impression: Vick's Vaporub. Dries down to: Camphor. This will be good to wear when I'm congested. Additional Comments: I don't know if mine was a mislabeled imp, but there was nothing vaguely reminiscent of anything to do with smoke, fire or ashes in it. Lasted: A couple of hours. Rating: 2 out of 5