zankoku_zen

Evening Star is what comes to mind. Zorya is a close second. Bat and Bat-Woman from the Salon might also be worth considering.

I suggest Lustration. That was the best lemon scent ever.

This season’s Ridiculous Scent! As creepy as Spooky was spooky, this is the scent of butterscotch-kissed, caramel-smothered red apples spiked with a blast of coconut rum. In the imp: Caramel. On Skin: Caramel explosion! It's the same sweet and heavy caramel that you find in Red Lantern. This time laced with coconuts and a hint of apples. On Drydown: I get more of a meld now. Like a caramel dipped apple with some shaved coconut on top. Verdict: This is an incredibly rich and sweet scent. Alas, foody lover I am not. Besides, I don't like the idea of constantly craving caramel apples and NOT being able to satisfy this craving. ETA: Edited to add Lab description.

In the imp: Clear, fresh and minty On Skin: Snowy. Peaceful. Pretty. On Drydown: I get a touch of pine and whiff of sweet mint. Slightly musky. Verdict: This is very pretty and I like it. Mmm. So good.

In the imp: Husky florals On Skin: Warm, light florals, with a swirl of vanilla. I also get a slight sharp edge to it, which I think is jasmine. On Drydown: Warmer and creamier, but very faint. Verdict: Beatrice all but vanishes on my skin after thirty minutes. It might be pretty but it's impossible for me to tell after the first half hour. Off to swaps.

This was a frimp from the generous raspberryswirlgirl! Thanks luv! In the imp: Plum wine and spices On Skin: Prunes, olive juice and wine. There is also something smoky to this. Drydown: Thankfully the olive like smell disappears. I am left with something that makes me think 'benzoin' so maybe its the tobacco and wine combination. Tobacco in general doesn't seem to agree with me. Verdict: Alas, this does not work at all with my skin. The husband even commented it smelled like craft store potpourri. Sigh.

In the imp: Watery aquatic, smells like juicy candy as well On Skin: Smells like a day at the beach! Like suntan oil on skin after you've been out in the sun for a couple hours and after a couple dips into the ocean. Somewhat salty. On Drydown: This still smells like the beach to me. Verdict: I don't think I'm getting what everyone else is. I was very excited about the lettuce note, but I don't think I can smell it. This is an aquatic - like the beach is aquatic and yet oddly appropriate because it does make me think of sand, sun, the turf and the little crabs that scuttle along the beach. I'm not a huge fan but if any BPAL could enable my little sister (who adores the beach), this would be it.

In the imp: Mentholy... and something that smells like fish cooked in a Chinese restaurant. On Skin: Pine, menthol and fish served in a Chinese take out, upon application. Fortunately, whatever smells fishy disappears after a minute. Huzzah! Drydown: Fragrant pine. I smell like a Christmas Tree. Verdict: Not my cup of tea. The only pine that isn't overwhelming on me is Snow Bunny. I guess that's a sign to stick to SB, despite liking the smell of pine. It's just too much and too fragrant.

I just put Road Opener on because I've been handled a pretty tough question by my boss. Road Opener is definitely pretty. In fact, some of it reminds me to Nivea Cream. It's got this cool, fresh, slightly rosey, slightly perfumey vibe to me. The other BPAL that reminded me to Nivea Cream very strongly was Erato. In fact, I think I might have to find another imp of Erato. I do enjoy the scent of Road Opener but I'm not sure I need more of it. Or perhaps I do!

My work environment is pretty toxic, so I've been hunting down TAL decants of a number of scents for protection and overall, better environment. As a scent, Euphony is clean and bright and slightly powdery. I swabbed some on my throat chakra and around my desk and screen monitor. I haven't burned it in the office yet. Throughout the afternoon and this morning, I've noticed that I'm calmer when I'm around my desk. I've also noticed that people that are agitated come to my desk, take a deep breath, and seem to regain their balance. Perhaps it is because my desk is furthest away from my boss. In any case, I will keep monitoring the situation and see how it works out.

In the imp: Soapy floral On Skin: Cherry blossom, soft fragrant white flowers with a tinge of soapyness. On Drydown: Sweet white florals (the sweetness is definitely the honey peaking through) Verdict: This is very Asian indeed! It's a soft, feminine, comforting sort of white floral. I think it might be a tinge too sweet for me. This has to be my second favorite Asian inspired Salon (first being the Lantern Ghost of Oiwa)

In the imp: Spicier version of Snake Oil On Skin: Vanilla and the cardamom are very prominent. On Drydown: A more vanilla and spicier version of Snake Oil. Verdict: This isn't a huge twist on Snake Oil for me. I'm not a huge fan of Snake Oil to begin with, so I'm not crazy about it.

In the imp: Coconut and caramel On Skin: Caramel and coconut. Very sweet. Very foody. On Drydown: Suntan lotion. Verdict: So. Not. Me. But on the other hand, I hope this gets appreciated by someone else!

I have a decant of Road Opener. I haven't smelled it yet but I'll road test it tomorrow and see if it jogs my BPAL memory.

I have a severely hostile work environment and my boss degrades me and my coworkers on a daily basis.... sometimes, hourly even. I tried this a couple of weeks ago and forgot to post about it. In the imp: Citrusy and spicy On Skin: Citrusy and a mild clove like smell. Warm. Effects: Perhaps, again, a placebo effect but I did feel better. More enlightened. Like a little ray of sunshine. And I think that helped me not let my boss get to me. I'm a very much sun-person. I like the moon. But the lack of sun makes me sad and grumpy. This little liquid is like being able to carry some sun with you, and that for me is very comforting and uplifting. At the same time, it's a different uplifting effect than Anthelion. With Anthelion, you get a reassuring nuzzle on the head. With Radiance of Ra, it's like you get a nimbus around your head, or sun shining on you. Verdict: Powerful stuff.

In the imp: Sharp cologney floral On Skin: Slightly fruity and floral On Drydown: The fruityness is there, I get hints of muskyness. It's very light and airy. Verdict: This is a bat that has been eating some juicy fruit. It's fun, light and playful. Overall, very lovely.

In the imp: Fresh and soapy On Skin: Aquatic, fresh. Kinda reminds me to Irish Spring... but with more ozone. On Drydown: Soapy. Big Throw. Very masculine. Verdict: I love the artwork for Thalassa. Sadly, she doesn't love me. She actually ends up smelling like Head and Shoulder's shampoo fragrance. I like Head and Shoulders... but I'm pretty sure I don't want to smell like it outside the shower.

I got this as a frimp from the generous shelldoo. In the imp: Clean smelling On Skin: There is a touch of powderyness but mostly clean smelling lemon. On Drydown: Amber. It's musky and somewhat masculine. It's so warm. Verdict: It starts out fresh and powdery and ends up masculine and musky. Very pretty and I love the concept but this one isn't for me.

This is one of the scents that I haven't been interested in trying but since I was frimped, I figured what not. Bias: Lotus turns sickly sweet on me and smells like bubblegum. In the imp: Minty On Skin: Bubblegum mint! On Drydown: Less bubblegum, less mint, more gin (from the juniper) Verdict: SO not me. This doesn't work with my skin chemistry at all. But it does confirm that lotus is not my friend.

I think this is good... if your newbie hasn't experienced ALL that BPAL can be. I've got one that has very distinct tastes, so I'm going to check out the foody/spicy recommendations.

In the imp: Piney On Skin: Green and with a certain warmth to it On Drydown: Green, kinda salty... it's like a plant that has been left in the sun (all warm and green) Verdict: I don't get a distinctive note from this... but it does strike me as more masculine than not. The husband says it's pretty but I'm not feeling the love. I would definitely recommend this one for a guy that wants an aquatic.

In the imp: Rose varnish On Skin: ROSE BOOM! Drydown: Even more roses. Verdict: This is a great rose blend... at least on me. It's pretty and fragrant. I wish I loved roses because then I would love this. Unfortunately, rose-biased as I am, this is not for me.

In the imp: Varnish On Skin: Very green lily, with a almost coconutty warmth underneath Drydown: Soapy, clean floral Verdict: This is a very lily and clean floral, but alas! It reminds me to Ivory soap. Off to swappage.

In the imp: Herbal and floral On Skin: Kinda piney-floral and still an edge of floral Drydown: Herbally floral. Verdict: I can't distinguish any particular note but the overall smell reminds me to Burt Bee's Soap Bark and Chamomile Deep Clean Cream Cleanser. Which is a nice smell, but not necessarily something I want to smell like all day.

In the imp: Plumeria and sweet cherry/fruity floral On Skin: Same juicy floral fruity, the plumeria is the strongest note though. On Drydown: The plumeria is very dominant but I get hints of the lemon verbena and ginger now Verdict: This reminds me to a better version of the Bath and Body Works 'plumeria' smell. I suppose it is because the plumeria is so damn predominant on my skin. *Sigh* Off to swaps this is.