arabella

First impression and dry down: This is a very light and creamy acquatic on me - kind of like a generic LUSH bathwater - but, so light that I can barely detect it. I don't get any ginger at all. I like it but would have to slather frequently, hence, the lower rating than I would otherwise give it. Additional Comments: This was the very first BPAL scent I ever tried. I'm getting a little bit better at determining notes, now that I've tried a few more scents. I hope to revisit this one in the future when my "scent palate" is a little more mature. Lasted: About an hour Rating: 3 out of 5

First impression: Very herby and wet, with a hint of wood and a squirt of lemon - dill, watery dill and a teeny bit of some cedar and/or sandalwood. Dries down to: More of the same. After checking the description, I'm beginning to realize that jasmine is very tricky on me - it seems to take on different disguises. The only thing I picked up accurately was the cedar and sandalwood. I didn't get the patchouli at all and I love patchouli. Lasted: Only about an hour Rating: 2 out of 5

First Impression: Fresh, clean and wet - with a hint of something tart - lemongrass maybe? I don't think it's sharp enough to be lemon. Reminds me of the way the air smells at the beginning of a storm - the part where you can see the lightning in the distance and hear the thunder and the rain hasn't arrived yet, but you know it'll be here soon. Dries down to: A nice clean scent that would be great in the summer. Seems to have good staying power on me, too. Lasted: About 3 hours. Rating: 3 out of 5

First impression: Meadowgrass. Dries down to: a light "green" scent - herbally with a breath of floral underneath. Quite nice. Very delicate and wispy - if you reach out to touch it, it disappears, then drifts back when you least expect it, while Clannad plays in the background. Initially, I thought this would be too ethereal for me but I keep coming back to it, so there must be hidden strength in this blend. Lasted: A reasonable length of time (on me that's anything over an hour). Rating: 4 out of 5

First impression: Is it really?...No, it can't be…banana?? Dries down to: That initial impression fades quickly and a lovely floral and fruity blend drifts in - sort of like flowers in the tropics in the early evening, just before the sun goes down. At this point, I can barely pick out the fig, gardenia and rose from the overall blend, which is fabulous. After reading the description, I see there's no banana after all, but that's still what I get initially. I've just started on BPAL and, so far, this is one of my faves. Lasted: 2-1/2 hours. Rating: 4 out of 5

First Impression: A hit of lime and something dry underneath - straw or hay, perhaps. Dries down to: Some faint floral notes creep in and it all combines to create a a wonderful, stimulating scent. Additional comments: It appears that what I thought was lime was actually the mandarin and pepper and the straw/hay was actually the splintered woods. I'm not usually a fan of stargazer lily but it works beautifully with the peony. So far, this is one of my favourite BPAL blends. Lasted: Overnight - very rare for me, especially with a blend that I like. Rating: 4 out of 5

First impression: Creamy, tiny, white flowers peeking their heads up through the ashes of a burned out, abandoned, wooden chapel, still damp from the water of the firefighters' hoses. Dries down to: If I can get through the first couple of hours until the "burnt" smell tones down, it's actually quite nice, but who wants to wait that long. I can't actually detect any floral notes but the image of them won't go away. Lasted: Several hours. Rating: 2 out of 5

First impression: A green tea and floral scent, with a faint hint of fruit, maybe grapefruit or pear - very clean and sharp. Dries down to: Pretty much the same but the sharp edges soften. This is a perfect summer scent. Additional Comments: I'd love this in a spray. Then, I'd keep it in the fridge for frequent reapplications. Lasted: Not too long - about 2 hours - but that's not unusual for me. Rating: 3 out of 5

First Impression: A very light floral (there's definitely got to be lily-of-the-valley in there). Dries down to: The same but with a soapy undertone. It's a nice clean scent but doesn't really do much for me, which surprises me because I usually love anything with lily-of-the-valley in it. Lasted: About 1-1/2 hours. Rating: 2 out of 5

First impression: Very strong honey and cloves - so sweet it almost makes me gag. Dries down to: More of the same and, unfortunately, boy does it ever last. I could still smell it when I woke up the next day. Additional comments: This one confirmed that I have to really watch out for honey notes. I hated honey when I was a child because I used to have to drink hot milk with honey and butter in it. As an adult, honey itself hasn't really bothered me until I tried this scent. Lasted: Way too long! Rating: 1 out of 5 Edited due to technical oooops!

First impression: Sweet but I can't really tell what's making it sweet - then, the coconut becomes obvious. Dries down to: The coconut fades, and violets come out. Additional comments: I must be getting the "violet" from a combination of the iris and white musk and I can't distinguish the hazelnut at all. I love this scent but it's very light and will need lots of touch-ups. Lasted: 3-4 hours Rating: 4 out of 5

First impression: it smells sour, like something's gone off. The initial wet and drydown stage is awful. It keeps morphing from cat pee to roses to dill pickles to something gardenia-like (a rich, creamy floral) and back again. Dries down to: After about 15 minutes, it finally settles down to a nice rosy floral. I could still smell it, albeit very faintly, the following morning on my wrists. Additional Comments: After reading these reviews, the gardenia-like scent was probably the magnolias. Lasted: A very long time on me - anything over 4 hours is rare. Rating: 3 out of 5

First impression: Very green - like stems and leaves. I don't really like this stage. Dries down to: A fresh floral - like bulb flowers - mainly tulips and daffodils, that have been rained on recently. The scent is wet and heavy but not overpoweringly floral. Tends to stick around quietly, as if it's there but trying not to be obvious. To me, this is much more April than May. Lasted: About 4 hours - which is pretty good for me. Rating: 4 out of 5

First Impression: Cinnamony resin. A bit too cloyingly sweet for me. Dried down to: Cinnamon popcorn Lasted: 2 hours. Rating: 2 out of 5

Well, here goes nothing. This is my first review, so please let me know if I'm doing anything incorrectly. First Impression: Pungent, bitter almond - so strong that it made my eyes water. Dried down to: Rose, rose and nothing but rose; then never changed. Lasted: About 4 hours. Rating: 3 out of 5