cemeterypolka

Wet: I am reminded of Black Widow and The Caterpillar, which both have jasmine, but that's not the note they have in common that I'm getting here. There's a thick, dry, heavy, resinous sweetness I recognize. I'm getting proper elegant lady perfume vibes, like a Chanel scent. I think if I were to take away that association and judge the scent outside of it, it does smell reminiscent of ritual incense and stone churches. And FLOWERS! Dry: Sweet, dry, red wine-soaked roses and frankincense, like Blood Rose soaked in Midnight Mass or Cathedral. It's super gothy. Like, maybe one of the gothiest BPALS I've tried. I tried a frimp of this and bought a 5ml on the spot, because anything resin-y is my jam, so if you are similarly inclined, this is good.

On me, wet, this is a less intense, less spicy/maple-y version of Sugar Skull. If you are out of Sugar Skull and need more STAT, this will hit that spot for you. When it dries, it just smells like sugar and butter, like when you're creaming them together to make cookies. Like, spot on. If you dig that (and who wouldn't?), this is for you. I didn't get spicy plums until I saw someone had written it, and yes, it could be that, too, but mostly I'm getting butter and sugar. Delightful! I don't know if I need this in bottle-size (mostly because I have 5 bottles of Sugar Skull!), but it is extremely well done!

In the bottle: Lemon sugar and sex. This smells like Dorian! Wet, on skin: The sugary aspect fades immediately. This turns into that scent I love in aged Severin, that dry and subtle bergamot-leather-musky smell that I find incredibly sexy, only with the medicinal, almost band-aid like smell of the oud as the base, which adds a bit of masculinity. This is stunning. Dry, on skin: This becomes a powdery version of its former self, which is still amazing. I need to buy many, many bottles of this. This lives up to its character inspiration, which is really saying something!

In the bottle: Grapefruit, white floral. Very cold and delicate. If it were a color, it would be pale celadon green. On my skin: This smells very fresh, floral and soapy on me. Not my cup of tea. Later: Very soapy. Bottom line: Baobhan Sith and I can't hang. Bummer.

in the imp: Booze and coconut and leather. on my skin: This smells like a foody scent that's into S&M. It's got a bit of Grog to it, a bit of Gluttony, but it smokes expensive tobacco and wears a lot of leather. I reeeeally like this. as it dries: sweet, boozy, edgy. I like it a lot. I want a bottle really badly. my rating: 4.5/5

in the imp: Lavender, but juicy. I don't usually like lavender scents, but this smells delectable. on my skin: Lavender with something a little sweeter, darker and deeper, but nothing cloying, although it's a bit of a heavy scent. This smells just like Lush's Ooh La La soap, which I adore, because it's lavender with a bit of sweet resiny-ness to it. That's what this is. I love it and I want a bottle! drying: Yep, still a delightfully amped-up version of Ooh La La. Still love it, still want a bottle! my rating: 4/5

in the imp: Wow, that's foody! Buttery like Jack and Gluttony. Caramel Corn-y. on my skin: Buttery pie crust. This is Miskatonic U without the coffee and woody notes, Jack without the pumpkin, Gluttony without the dark-chocolate-coffee-smelling note. If that sounds good to you, you will love this. dry down: Same, really. my rating: 3/5 This is nice, but I don't really wear foody scents.

I must preface my review by stating that the imp I have is 2 or 3 years old, so this will be a review of Aged Absinthe: in the imp: It smells like the real thing, only not nearly as boozy. Mostly minty anise, but smelling ever so slightly like NyQuil (much like real absinthe). on my skin: Oh, this is delightful. It smells very French and springy. It's very subtle, yet it has a distinct mood about it; quietly and elegantly dangerous. It reminds me of something Anais Nin would have worn. drydown: It gets more lemony, but the anise is still holding its own, so it's not Pledge-like. I quite like this. I have a 5ml of this somewhere, about the same age, and I'm gonna go dig it out and start wearing this more often. rating: 4/5

in the imp: delicious red musk and lilacs : . I don't wear flowery scents, so I'm a little nervous. on my skin: Mmmmm. This is really nice. It's resiny and sweet and juicy and deep, coppery red, and the flowers are mellow and ethereal. It's not perfumey on me, which is excellent. It smells resiny in a clean way. It's a very romantic, ethereal scent, but with a strong, deep, juicy foundation. It's a very purple scent. dry: The lilacs are beginning to gain dominance over the other notes. I would ordinarily be bothered by this, but I don't mind it here. The pale flowers are quite lovely over the red resiny notes. rating: 4/5 This is my new delicate feminine scent. I might just get a bottle.

in the imp: Oof, that's a lotta pine! on my skin: Oh, yum. Resiny, piney, dark, sexy and faintly sweet. This will be a winner for me if it doesn't turn powdery on the drydown... dry: Damnit, it got powdery! Now it smells like baby powder and pine on me. I am sad. rating: 3.5; another great one for the oil burner, but not so much for my skin.

in the imp: Vicks Vapo Rub. Uh oh. on my skin: Still heavy on the eucalyptus, but I also smell moss and frankinsence. dry: Herbal in a medicinal way, with a pleasantly dirty incense edge. I think of this as being foresty and faintly witchy, but I feel like if I wear it out, people will think I'm wearing some kind of medicated cream, and that is not the desired effect. Rating: 4/5 for the oil burner, 3/5 for my skin. I want my room to smell like this, but I'm not sure I want my skin to.

in the imp: Wood. Just wood. on my skin: Wood. Salt. Something warm and golden, like expensive scotch but without the boozy smell. Mmmmm. dry: This smells EXACTLY like a Manhattan without any type of boozy note. It's a sweet deep woodiness that's kind of warm and golden brown. Very nice. rating: 4/5 I like this a lot. I'm not sure I'd wear it that often, but this is going into heavy rotation in my oil burner.

in the imp: lavender and frankinsence. on my skin: Reminds me very much of Cathedral, but with lavender. A little too strong for me, but if you like Cathedral, you'll probably dig this. This smells dusty and churchy and a little floral. Very cool, but not something I would wear, mostly because lavender is not my favorite. dry: This got way perfumey, in a very Chanel way. I'm not sure it's me. My rating: 3/5. It smells like a gorgeous Chanel perfume. I don't wear things like that, though, so I shan't be buying a bottle of this.

Anubis is totally Nag Champa on me. I luuurve me some Nag Champa. My favorite incense BPAL of all time has to be Urd, though.