zankoku_zen

In the imp: Apple and something else. On Skin: Apple and something warm and floral. This is the same sort of juicy apple that you find in the Hesperides, but minus the warmth. This isn't foody, but rather a perfumed apple. On Drydown: More of the flowers, I think particularly the oleander, wins. After like 5 hours: Floral Verdict: As an apple scent, I like this better than the Hesperides which was a tad too foody on me. On the other hand, this isn't a comforting scent. This is definitely something a little more sinister, a little more wicked. It might smell like an apple, but it isn't just an apple. Personally, not so keen on the oleander, but as a concept this has been fantastically executed. Bravo labbies!

In the imp: Lime On Skin: LIME LIME LIME! Hello Margaritaville. On Drydown: Lime with the hint of a sharp floral, perhaps lavender? Verdict: Love this. It's great. Clean, purifying, bright, cheery. The only problem I have is that it doesn't have a great throw or staying power. But you know what? I can totally reapply. Oh yes.

In the imp: Juicy pear On Skin: Juicy pear and a whiff of the ocean. Definitely very beach like. On Drydown: I get more of the ambergris which I think accounts for the musky smell, and I smell a sharp floral. Perhaps the osmathus? I don't recall if that's what it is (and have no clue what osmanthus really smells like anyway). Verdict: The wet stage reminds me of Bat combined with something like Thalassa, very fruity and beach like. The drydown I'm not so fond of.

In the imp: Rose and patchouli On Skin: Very warm musk, patchouli and the hints of rose On Drydown: Musky patchouli and rose. Verdict: Pretty, if you like patchouli and rose. Very warm and seductive.

In the imp: Lavender On Skin: Lavender and rose, it's a pretty floral On Drydown: I get more of the amber peaking out. And some of the patchouli. Verdict: Interesting. But not for me. I might try it out on the husband, but he also tends up to amp up patchouli and he's not fond of it either.

In the imp: Honeydew Melon On Skin: Honeydew melon On Drydown: Honeydew melon candy, slightly sweeter After two hours: The melon aspect wears off a bit, but it's still sweet, youthful and pretty. This reminds me to eating melons on a hot day and the juicyness just drips over your fingers. Verdict: Sunny, youthful and definitely fruity. I don't fancy honeydews (not my favorite fruit) but this is a light and sweet scent that I'd recommend for children or young girls.

In the imp: Floral On Skin: Soapy deodorant On Skin On Him: Toiletries (he can't make up his mind if it smells like deodorant, shampoo or soap) and Vick's. He asked me if it had menthol. On Drydown: Rose attack! The rosewood is very prominent, as well as the violet. Oddly enough, it's kinda like a soapier version of Whip. Whereas Whip's leather component keeps the rose smell from being overpowering, violet is rose's evil sidekick in the domination of my skin. On Drydown on Him: Several whiffs afterwards, "soap". Mountain, foresty soap. It would be called "Spring Glade" or "Mountain Glade" or any other kind of permutation of a combination of it. But still soap. Verdict: A no-go for either of us. I suppose that neither he nor I are rakes at heart. Or rose lovers.

The Seventh Daughter, Daughter of the Oath. She was King David's lover, and the mother of King Solomon. Her scent is breathtakingly lovely, exotic and powerfully sensual in its innocence: carnation, sensual plum, and Arabian musk. In the imp: Carnation and plum On Skin: Carnation and plum and spicyness On Drydown: More plum, less carnation, slightly musky Verdict: There is something here that reminds me to the Frumious Bandersnatch. I think it's the plum. It's a very pretty scent but not something I'm personally crazy about. I guess I'm just not a plum fan.

Caveat: This has always been one of those scents I've been thinking about trying. In the imp: Fresh, floral, green vibe On Skin: Fruity light floral On Drydown: This is like having a cloud wrapped around my wrist. A rather fruity smelling one. Verdict: Fresh, light, slightly fruity and with a whiff of clean, this does give the impression of mists and clouds and other sky-ward things. I think it would make a great introduction to a light scent to a BPAL newbie. Very pretty.

In the imp: Patchouli On Skin: Patchouli with a touch of clove On Drydown: Patchouli, clove and something else... perhaps the myrrh? Slightly resinous Verdict: Not for me... and just by sniffing it, definitely not for the hubby. On the other hand, this patchouli isn't as overwhelming as black patchouli.

In the imp: Green floral On Skin: Green floral and I can smell a whiff of peony On Drydown: As it dries it gets more incensey and earthy. In fact, now it sort of smells like some sort of soap and underneath, BO. Verdict: Oh. my. This went REALLY REALLY wrong. It's like someone trying to cover up their sweaty skin with some clean smelling cologne... and it's not working. I feel horrible for leaving such a bad review, but my skin chemistry apparently hates this blend.

In the imp: Mango! On Skin: Juicy, delicious mango. On Drydown: SAGE attack! It's the most predominant note. I get a whiff of lavender, and in the background, almost beat to submission is the glorious mango. Oh come back mango, I so miss you. ... Now sage and mango co-exist in a very strange harmony. Verdict: Unfortunately sage always makes me think of Italian cooking, and pizza. And therefore, my head thinks cheese. So Corazon ends up being a mango pizza. I get this initial impression of pizza, and if I inhale strongly enough I get that gloriously lovely scent of mango. Oh Corazon, you are breaking my heart. [And yes, for you Spanish speakers, that's really ironic]

I Fire Pig and I'm not one for juicy florals in general. Cheshire Cat might also be good. Oh, and Night Gaunt. For me that was like smelling a grapefruit, pith and all. So definitely not too sweet.

Shattered has lotus, and than can turn bubblegummy on some people.

In the imp: Menthol and clove On Skin: Menthol, perfume and spicy. I can definitely smell the clove. On Skin on Him: Upon immediate application, it smells mostly like camphor (probably the menthol) and cloves. After a few minutes, it morphs to what he describes as either a mixture of Old Spice and CK or an old lady that is wearing Avon's Black Suede On Drydown: Very much more perfumey, slightly bitter, and I get the same note of fir that I get from Hexennacht. On Drydown on Him: He said it smelled like Old Spice on a lady, slightly feminine. Verdict: I didn't get this blend for me, but for him. This is definitely not something he fancies wearing and I'm not sure I fancy him wearing it either. It doesn't work with either of our skin chemistries. Ah, off to swaps with you!

In the imp: Smoky! On Skin: Sweet plums and smoky autumn air On Drydown: Autumn air, fir and again, the whiff of sweet plums Verdict: This reminds me alot to Samhain 2005 (I've never tried the 2006 version so I can not speak for it), but slightly more fruity. Samhain had more apples, and this one smells like plums. Not my cup of tea because there is something very sweet in this scent that is almost too sweet, and for me, clashes too much with the smoky autumn air.

Have you thought of layering different scents? I imagine Kataniya (which is very metallic) and perhaps one of the Asian Salons would make for a good combination? I'd recommend either Spirit of the Komachi Tree or the Lantern Ghost of Oiwa for that cherry blossom note. You might want to go with a GC instead of the Salon. But for m Neo-Tokyo was very metallic and cherry blossom. But you might want to throw in something for the orchid and wet fruits component.

In the imp: Musky with sharp lavender on top On Skin: The lavender is pretty prominent. I also get some jasmine with a warm musky core On Drydown: It smells positively incensey. The lavender and other florals are gone. It's got this musky incense smell to it. Verdict: Erm... to warm for my tastes. Pretty but not something I would personally wear.

Amorphallus, indeed. A breathtakingly exotic, wild, and grossly erotic spicy gold, purple-black, and burgundy lily. In the imp: Spicy floral On Skin: Spicy, creamy lily On Drydown: GONE! Verdict: WAAAAAAAAAAH! It was so promising, but it just did not stay around for me. It began as this nice, spicy, creamy lily (definitely more of the exotic edge on this one). This isn't the lily that grows in your mother's garden. And then, it just sort of walked out on me. *Sigh*

Caveat: I love Blue Moon, so that probably gives me a bias on this scent In the bottle: Cucumber! I can smell it wafting. As well as something that smells slightly green. On Skin: Slight cucumber and the light green/white floral. On Drydown: Green/white floral. Verdict: This shares some of the same qualities as Blue Moon 2007 but it lacks the depth and complexity of Blue Moon. On the other hand, it also strikes a clear, white moonlit green/white vibe. I like this alot as well.

In the imp: Dusty On Skin: Slightly dusty, musky On Drydown: Musky with a slight masculine tone to it. On him: Dustier and muskier. He says it's an interesting smell but not one he'd personally wear. Verdict: Erm. This is definitely not my kind of scent. On the other hand, it smells much better than the notes would give an indication of. I think this would be really great on the guy with the right skin chemistry. Alas, that is not my husband.

In the imp: Red oil that smells slightly soapy On Skin: Somewhat musky, slightly aquatic On Drydown: Undescript floral that verges on soapy. Verdict: This is a generic sort of smell on me. I'm not crazy about Dragon's Blood in general, so I'm pretty sure that this blend isn't for me.

Frimp from the lab. In the imp: Rose soap On Skin: Damp, fresh cut roses. Wow, I'm not a rose fan but I think this smells gorgeous! On Drydown: I'm surprised at how this hasn't amped up tremendously on my skin. Again, the fresh roses with dew on them and perhaps a tiny little hint of something else. Verdict: I'm not a rose fan and I've tried SEVERAL rose blends. This one however is gorgeous, and I love it, thereby again solidifying the notion that in the BPALworld, even if a scent description doesn't seem like you, it can totally be you. And score another win for the Lab imps.

In the imp: Sandalwoody? On skin: Sandalwoody and fragrant, but barely there. On Drydown: I think the fragrant floral is either jasmine or lavender, or perhaps a combination of both. But again, barely there. Verdict: This reminds me to Namaste. I think I prefer the lemongrass smell in Namaste though. In any case, I know of someone who will appreciate this more than I.

In the imp: Vanilla cake batter On Skin: Vanilla cake batter On Drydown: Vanilla cake batter with a few spices thrown in. I ocasionally get a whiff of something perhaps floral, like if I were in my kitchen and I'd be smelling my neighbor's flowers through the outside window. Verdict: See a trend here? The vanilla amps up to the max, something else throws itself to add some sugaryness and overall, I smell like a cookie. Foody lovers rejoice. And my husband is attempting to gnaw my wrist while trying to get ready. I think he needs breakfast...