elphaba

Being a Leo, I had to at least try Sol. I didn't get citrus or spices out of it, but rather an herby floral. I think I got a whiff of ylang ylang, but it's very light. The overall effect reminded me of sunscreen and summer days, but in a clean, bright way. It doesn't last long on me and I have to sniff close to the skin to smell it at all. Sadly, Sol won't be a keeper.

It was complete coincidence that I grabbed this out of my test box to try immediately after testing Haunted, but it was definitely kismet. Coyote is a much lighter, dryer amber/musk than Haunted. On me, it's also much sweeter. Wet, it smells almost like a candy necklace. Dry, it's... dry and yellow grasses come to mind. It's still sweeter on me than I recall it being the first time I smelled it on a male friend. Of the two, I think I prefer Haunted, simply because of its staying power. Coyote was more or less gone in 4 hours. However, if you love Haunted, I can definitely see this being a great summer alternative for when Haunted is just too heavy for the weather.

Just now got around to trying my imp of Haunted after quite a while, so this is probably at least a year aged. It's gorgeous, a deep, round womanly scent. It's sexy without being in-your-face about it, sophisticated without being overly complex, and it lasts forever. I think I put this on around noon and when I went to bed at midnight, it was still strong enough that I fell asleep surrounded by its warm glow. The amber does go a little powdery in the drydown, but the musk serves its purpose and keeps it warm and grounded (this is no Bath & Bodworks lotion, that's for sure). The effect is less airy olden halo and more rich, gold damask tapestry. Beautiful.

A master storyteller who possessed unfailing courage and compassion, a sharp, quick wit, and a true understanding of human nature. Saffron and Middle Eastern spices swirled through sensual red musk. I shied away from Scherezade for a long time because of the musk note. Then, I tried a bit from a friend's collection and decided I needed to give it a chance. It turns out either I'm getting more comfortable with musks as I try more BPAL, or I'm getting better at picking blends where musk works on me. Scherezade is warm and sweet on me. At first, it's quite strong and the musk is prominent, but that phase doesn't last long. Once things calm down and settle into my skin, the spices swirl gently around me, making me feel exotic and feminine. It seems to last quite a while (going on 5 hours now and still going strong) and throw is medium. This one won't announce your presence before you enter the room, but it ensures that once you're next to someone, they'll want to stay there!

Your description immediately brought to mind The Red Queen for me. "Deep mahogany and rich, velvety woods lacquered with sweet, black-red cherries and currant."

I just can't decide on Midnight Kiss. It started out as a dark, super-sweet cherry-ish scent on me. From its overwhelming sweetness, I would have actually bet it had dragon's blood in it, but that's nowhere to be seen in the ingredients list. It's funny, though. While I felt I was wearing a strong, overpowering scent in Midnight Kiss, my husband sniffed me and said, "I like it. It's nice... subtle." It does get more subtle as it dries down, I guess. The sandalwood and cocoa come out and some of that sweetness backs off. I think this scent just really isn't me. I'm just on the verge of liking it, but it's not feeling like it belongs on me. Thank you, lab, for the frimp, though!

Plunder is overwhelmingly cinnamony when first applied -- so much so, that I found myself starting to wonder how it was different from any other cinnamon blend. Then, as it dries down (and it doesn't take long... maybe ten minutes), the sandalwood starts to come out and the cinnamon backs away. The scent rounds out into a wafting woody-spicy loveliness. Unfortunately, it's not particularly long-lasting. It was mostly gone in less than four hours for me, but it just may be worth reapplying. I'm looking forward to comparing this to some of my other cinnamony-spicy blends to see how it compares.

I tried Shadwell at GenCon and ordered a bottle in my first order after getting home. It's beautiful and comforting and just all-around fabulous. On me, this scent is very milky. I would swear it's the same note as in my beloved Milk Moon 2005, but Shadwell might be even better. Milk Moon can almost edge into sourness at times, but this stays sweet and full and round. I swear I slept with my wrist glued to my nose last night and, in the morning, I could still smell Shadwell on my pillow. If this were an LE, I would be ordering a second bottle, pronto.

I think I could spend a long time in the Perilous Parlor. It's definitely pear-y, especially fresh on. Although, I just picked up a fresh pear out of my fruit bowl and this smells nothing like that. It's more like a poached pear, sweetened and mellowed. the vanilla is also there from the beginning, warming things up and adding to the sweetness. As it dries, it stays mostly the same, maybe mellowing a bit more. Contrary to what others have experienced, I'm getting fairly decent throw from this one. I keep catching whiffs of it as I move around. I've had it on for about 6 hours and it's still going strong. I think this would work well as a bedtime scent. It's warm and comforting and not so distracting it would keep me awake.

I have worn Regan probably half a dozen times now and every time I sit down to write about it, I find I don't have much to say. It's pretty--a soft, floral vanilla, great throw when you first apply it and a kind of sweet, powdery drydown. I like it. I don't love it and I don't hate it, though. It doesn't really inspire any passion in me. It's just... nice. I will probably pass this (now depleted by so many attempts at a review) imp on as a frimp to someone. I just don't see myself being drawn to it when I have 75 other scents that are both beautiful and memorable.

I was having a hard time getting a good feeling for Hemlock, so I put The Apothecary on one wrist and Hemlock on the other. If the Apothecary is a lovely Mediterranean herb garden near a citrus grove, on a sunny afternoon, then Hemlock might be that garden in the wee hours of the morning, when everything seems a bit darker and more sinister. I honestly didn't expect to like this one as much as I do. Instead of the brighter herbs from Apothecary, this feels like someone cut into the woody part of an evergreen herb. As it dries down, it gets sweeter and sweeter and does a lovely job blending in with the scent of my skin. It doesn't last particularly long (maybe 4 hours) and the throw is minimal, but Hemlock is a great fall-winter herbal, when you want something a bit darker and with more body.

This is quite appley on me at first. I think there's some pomegranate in there too. Just very fruity and bright. As it dries, some florals come out and the blend gets more complex, but that apple scent stays in the forefront. I was surprised and a bit disappointed that the more warm and dry elements of this scent don't seem to come out on me because those were the things that attracted me to it initially. I think I'll keep my bottle, but I wouldn't have been disappointed if all I had was an imp.

When I first got my Monster Baits, I had such unending love for Closet, that Underbed kind of got shoved aside and never really worn or reviewed. I got it out again while working my way through my pile of unreviewed imps and now I'm thinking it didn't get nearly as much love as it deserved! This is really lovely. It's rich and spicy. I'm not getting a whole lot of floury "baked goods" kinds of notes from it. Rather, it smells like cocoa and cinnamon all measured out and ready to go. It's not unlike Mexican cocoa, although the coconut note adds something more to round the whole scent out. I haven't had luck with some of the other BPAL chocolate scents, but this one is just right. It's a keeper.

Nothing at all sharp or green about Cathedral on me. This is a brown scent - woody, resinous, and yes, incensey. I didn't grow up Catholic, so it doesn't have a lot of church associations for me. It smells... old. Not in an "old lady" sort of way, but in an ancient, lasting way. It's a scent that has seeped into a building over hundreds of years and yet, there it is, distilled into an oil and applied to my wrists. I'm actually not sure what to make of Cathedral. I love the scent and it makes me happy, but it's not really one I associate with me and I'm not quite comfortable wearing it. I think I'll save the imp for rainy afternoons at home alone.

I was so sad when Sudha Segara didn't work on me, but this more than makes up for it! Eden is just the perfect scent for its namesake. The honeyed almond milk and coconut make a lovely, innocent base. It's so very warm and inviting. The fig manages to be not too sweet. Still, there's something in here that hints at the potential for a fall from grace. This isn't all innocence and light. It's just the right amount complicated by full, ripe fruit. As if their scents drifted in on the wind from a distance. I really adore Eden and will probably order a big bottle when my imp runs out.