Abbie

In the bottle: Lavender, mostly, with some other herbally undertones and a jasmine base. Ever so slightly spicy. First on: Usually jasmine goes "SPROING! HI ABBIE!" as soon as it gets on my skin, but not in this case. This is a strongly astringent scent, pretty much the same as in the bottle, with a LOT of throw. Dry: A lot of these lavender scents seem to go rather "bath salts" on me as they dry. This one is not so bad as many but is not a favorite

In the bottle: Vanilla and brandy and musk and patchouli and a WHOOOOLE lot of other stuff. It's hard to pick out notes, but overall I'd say this smells like a flavored brandy. First on: My skin just does not do much with musk or patchouli, but it always brings out sweeter scents, and this is no exception. It's brandy. Quite nice, although a little masculine for my tastes. Dry: This is one of those scents where I wonder what the hell I am smoking that I smell something so different from everybody else. With time the sweetness faded and I'm left with Myrrh, but... it isn't woody. It isn't floral. It isn't peppery or citrusy. It's brandy. With Myrrh. Overall: I quite like it but I am annoyed by the fact that I'm smelling something completely other. I may try this on the bf and see how he does with it, as it's a little heavy for me.

In the imp: I'm getting lilies, a tart scent, and jasmine. Sigh... I love jasmine, as does my skin, and probably it will overwhelm what seems like a nice light floral in the bottle. First on: Actually, this isn't too bad. Maybe that's the trick... if it's only a hint of jasmine I can wear it without the OMGWTF Jasmine thing happening. Dry: It's faded fast to something sweet and floral. Overall: Good but not a top pick.

In the imp: Sandalwood, roses, and orange peel. A very antique smell... it smells like the world you see in a Vermeer painting. First on: My skin is pushing the sandalwood back, and now it's getting a bit of that acrid scent that rose sometimes has. Maybe not as nice as I thought. Dry: This has become salty and unappealing. I'm going to try the imp as a room fragrance, though, and see how it works.

Strange Ians, indeed. (Gaiman joke) Okay, on to the review. In the imp: Well, that ain't grapefruit. It's nice, but spicier and less tart. It COULD be Yuzu, but if I had come into this fragrance not having read reviews I would have said "Potpourri store in the mall". To me it smells like a lot of different things going on in one little bottle. First on: Yeah, this is potpourri. With cinnamon and orange peel and ginger. It's not bad: smells like my Grandma, not like my mental R'lyeh at all. (Ia! Ia! Gyaggin vyardar! Grandma F'thagn!) Dry: This is a good long-lasting scent, and kind of nice and comforting. Maybe a little aquatic has come out at the end but this is still pretty spice. I like.

In the bottle: Lipton ice-tea-in-a-can. With lemon. Exactly. Not a bad smell but not necessarily something I wish to smell like. First on: My skin actually brings the lemon forward more, which is unusual for me and citrus. I like it better, now... the tea just adds a hint of dry scent to cut the juiciness. Dry: The citrus has faded, but it's still a nice green tea scent. Overall: I like that this isn't too sweet, as I've tended to find with BPAL tea blends. Probably not a big-bottler, but definitely a keeper.

In the imp: OMG, this might be what I've been looking for... citrusy jasmine. If the citrus just won't vanish on my skin and be overwhelmed by the floral. First on: W00T! Tart and tangy huzzah! Finally a scent where the jasmine doesn't overwhelm everything else. Ye gods, this is good. Dry: Slobber drool love Overall: This is one for the big-bottle list. Great throw, great scent, BRILLIANT!

In the bottle: one, two, three, four, five, six... wait, there are only SIX woods in this fragrance! We're being scammed. Nah, just fooling. This smells like apples and cloves, though not, oddly enough, like apple pie. First on: Whoa nelly. This gets really really sweet. The apple is under there still but now it's kind of artificially-flavored apple lollipop flavor. I'm getting a bit of the cinnamon others have smelled but just a bit. Dry: Synthetic apple-cinnamon. It's making me really want some of that Quaker Instant Oatmeal but isn't something I care to smell like. Overall: Swap pile ho!

In the bottle: Okay, have officially gone nuts. This smells to me like Strawberry Shortcake dolls used to when I was a kid. Not that that is a bad thing. It's a nice sweet scent, and for me, sweet usually translates to "Gag me" so that is a definite plus. There's a bananary scent in here but I can't pick up any other notes. First on: Oooh, citrus! I love citrus! This to me sez "bergamot" and sugar, since the spicy citrus and the sweet banana seem to be distinct notes. Dry: This faded fast and smells... plasticky? The citrus went bye-bye, leaving only the faintest hint of spice, and I am once again reminded of a Strawberry Shortcake doll... the plastic just enhances the resemblance. Overall: Sigh. Why can't my skin keep citrus going? This is still very nice but yet another citrus-related hope is crushed. Not a top pick but one I might well put on again.

In the bottle: Lilac and lemon... actually lemon and lilac. A bit lemon-Pledge-y, but sweet, with a powdery undertone that reminds me of Whitechapel. First on: My skin is bringing out florals and tea, with maybe just the faintest hint of cedar way down there. This isn't excessively sweet once you get it on you. It doesn't smell quite like anything I've ever smelled before. Strikes me as very dry and melancholy. Dry: Fades quickly, but leaves behind very faint incensey lemon and lilac. The tea and cedar are gone. Overall: A frimp, and not one I would have chosen, but pretty dang nice. Not for the big-bottle list, but I will wear again.

In the bottle: Bay and... cardamom? No, that's crazy talk. Very spicy and sweet but kind of icky. A winey undertone. This was a frimp from the lab and not one I would have chosen from the description, and honestly: not loving it so far. First on: Uck. This is day five of a week-long bender right around Christmas. Spices and recycled red wine. Dry: You know, this actually dries down to something pretty okay. It's potpourri, admittedly, but it's not actively bad. Overall: While the dry phase isn't bad at all, I can't ever imagine myself going, "Boy, I would sure love to smell like I've just been to the office christmas party and had WAY too much wine. Where's that Delphi imp at?" Swap pile

In the bottle: Aw god I love citrus. I really just ought to bathe in orange juice. This is soap and orange peel. There's a slight salty undersmell, but I'm wondering if there may be something on my hands where I hold the imp wand. First on: The salty smell comes out. I really don't get much citrus any more I'm picking up some light herbal scents, like maybe faint sage, or parsley? Dry: Yeah, I reek of bath salts now. I have never been so disappointed by a BPAL drydown. It was so lovely to begin with Overall: GONG!

In the bottle: A faint, fresh, aquatic, with a hint of cinnamon. First on: A lot more scents explode when this stuff comes in contact with skin. The only one I can identify is Eucalyptus. It's a lot heavier on than I would have thought. Dry: Bed of Nails lasts a long long time. Mostly the aquatics are all that's left now. It doesn't seem to have too much throw. Overall: A winner! Glad I bought the 5mL unsniffed.

In the bottle: Musk. I'm honestly not picking up patchouli, and I couldn't identify orris if it raced by me carrying a sign labeled "orris" and screaming "I AM ORRIS, FEAR ME!" This reminds me of Cathedral, actually, for some reason (Checks: AHHA! Myrrh) First on: This is a lot more innocuous on than in the bottle. Sort of salty, and the patchouli comes out. Not really my bag but I like it more now. Dry: I'm picking up a sweet and spicy smell now. This really does remind me of Cathedral, but I prefer Dance of Death's drydown. Overall: Not my thing, I fear.

In the bottle: Sweet baby powder. Which is not what I typically associate with sex work, but what the hey, maybe I'm just ig'nant. Maybe something a little heavier underneath, but we'll see what it does no. First on: Ah, jasmine, old friend. You know, it's a damn good thing I like jasmine because any blend I try that contains any trace of the stuff immediately blows up in my face with OMGWTF FLORAL. There's maybe a trace of lemon or something light and citrusy underneath, but mostly I'm getting a sweet, powdery jasmine. Dry: The smell, she is warm. I'm trying to pin it to a particular memory and having no luck at all. There's a chemically scent that makes me think of baby wipes but I may be free-associating. Overall: Disappointing. The boy did not actually follow me, and when asked to sniff wrinkled his nose and asked, "Why don't you just wear that stuff I like?" (Scarecrow). Someday I will find the perfect citrus-jasmine scent, this I vow.

In the bottle: Wow, this really is tulips! I don't think I've ever smelled that in a perfume before. The scent is cool and lightly floral, not too strong. First on: This one doesn't morph much on my skin. Before it had a bit more of a generic "aquatic" scent, now the tulips are a little heavier, but overall not much change. Dry: More of the same Overall: Very unusual. I like.

In the bottle: Lemonade. Not too sweet, but definitely not the pure citrus scent. There's an undertone of jasmine... kind of reminding me of those moroccan drinks you can sometimes get at middle eastern grocery stores. First on: Again, my skin brings forth the jasmine hard-core... but this is actually a pretty nice blend. All too often I just end up smelling like pure jasmine, but not this time. There's a faint bitterness from the tea and a light note of citrus. Dry: Faded quickly to a faint, soapy, lemon-tea scent. Overall: See, this is what I was hoping Dorian would be like. Mmm-mmm good.

This was a frimp with my Carnivale Noir order... I'm not too big on honey, so let's see if I like this one. In the bottle: Sweet with a coconutty undertone like suntan lotion. I can pick up a bit of patchouli but mostly it's the sunblock smell all over. Not bad... a very summery scent. First on: The heat of my skin brings the patchouli forward, as well as a slightly rank sweaty smell and a green smell... not herbal, not floral, just green. It's like mowing the lawn on a summer day. This is one of those scents that is completely different on my skin. Dry: Slightly sweet patchouli. Overall: Not a favorite... there's still that nasty undersmell that I do not care for.

In the bottle: It's unusual that I like the BPAL fruity fragrances, and since this one was a frimp with my order of fire eater, I wasn't expecting much. But this is good. It makes me think of these pear tartelets I used to get at a local bakery. Very sweet and syrupy, with a spicy undertone, but not at all cloying. First on: Hi roses! Where did you guys come from? I've got to say that something not-so nice is happening on my skin. I'm getting a very chemical-ish odor... kind of like shampoo. The pear is still dominant, but roses and lilies are strong too. Dry: Gets powdery and floral, with just a hint of pear to tantalize me. Did anyone else ever wear "Tea Rose" perfume, which you can get about a gallon of for $10, when you were kids? It sort of reminds me of that. Overall: Very different and not at all bad, but probably not one for the big-bottle list.

In the bottle: Cologne. Wow, that's a helpful description. But it really does smell like a lot of classic fragrances... the Chanel No. 5 and Youth Dew's of the world. There's nothing in particular my nose can detect, but I will look it up during drydown. First on: It softens. When I get my nose right up to my wrists I smell the aldehyde smell (see, looked it up) of the in-the-bottle, but I am surrounded by a miasma of florals. There are roses. But good roses... often BPAL roses go soft on me and turn too powdery. Aw man this stuff is GOOD! Drydown: Heh... I went downstairs and the bf sniffed and said, suspiciously, "Did you buy more of that perfume from that website?" To which I said, "Yeah." and he replied, "This one is nice. You should wear it again." And kissed my neck. Hee. The boy goes for the hot-smelling fragrances, which is one reason we get along so well. This mellows down more, and the strong scent fades but has good staying power. It's warm and sensuous and very very sexy. Overall: I'm glad I bought a 5 mL smell unsmelled. I only hope Bed of Nails will be this good.

In the bottle: This is a sweet fruity fragrance (normally not a good thing since BPAL fruity fragrances smell like bubble gum to me, but this one is quite nice) with a bit of a funky musk underneath. The funky musk sort of worries me. I am actually able to pick up the cactus and epazote, which makes me feel very proud of myself. First on: Well, that funky smell seems to be gone, which is good. This is a lovely warm tropical scent on my skin. It reminds me of Cozumel. Dry: Num num num num num. Overall: The first fruity BPAL I've actively liked. W00T!

In the bottle: Soooo maaaany floooowers. What are they? I dunno! It's a very light floral blend, but I can't pick out any notes I recognize. Wet: There's definitely an aquatic feel to this one, but not as watery as Ophelia. As it dries I am picking up something that smells like a very light jasmine. It's subtle. Dry: This became quite sweet, almost vanilla-y when it dried, which often happens with florals and my skin. The scent is very faint now and it's hard to get a good whiff of it. Overall: Meh. Not bad but not a favorite.

In the bottle: Minty herbs... more spearmint than peppermint. Plus kind of an "Old Spice" sort of smell. First on: This isn't nearly as sweet as I thought it'd be, which is a good thing in my book. It's pretty masculine, but it's very refreshing and cooling. Dry: This kind of lost its mintiness on me and went to a subtle, manly herbal. To my mind this is not what bourbon smells like but maybe I'm just ig'nant. Overall: Not what I was expecting but quite nice.

In the bottle: Herbs, mostly. I'm not the best at notes, but I would swear I smell... coffee? Or that fake coffee, what is that? (After google search: chicory). A very bitter scent. First on: Ah, so there are figs in this. A nice sweetness permeates when it touches the warmth of my skin. This is v. figgy. Not quite my bag... I picked this up in a swap and I think I might have overburdened my nose when I selected it. Dry: It's faded into a pretty standard musky cologne scent,though it is still there, it's pretty figgy. I don't find this scent really sinful at all. Overall: Meh. Not a fave.

In the bottle: Jasmine with a watery, salty tinge beneath it. It's a very languid, subtropical sort of scent. First on: This is mostly jasmine... I can't really pick up anything else. For me this isn't a bad thing, since I lurve jasmine, but it's a strong, heavy scent for others. Dry: There may be a bit of lemon in here, but it's still OMGWTF JASMINE. Overall: Well... I like jasmine, but I was hoping for the blend more than the pure scent, which I can get anyplace. Probably not a big-bottler.