Kikkervisje

Wet: Indeed fairly sharp. Definite lily scent without being overly harsh--actually pleasant which is strange for lily (although since lily can't be naturally distilled it has to be an accord--combination of scents--which approximates lily... allowing for more creative leeway). Also a good dose of green. Very shortly after application, it is possible to detect a subtle spiciness. But, it does seem to be a floral which I actually think is nice. Odd, being largely anti-floral in my preferences. Dry: At this point, it is soft and a bit floral smelling. Mainly, I'm getting a teeny bit of cinnamon (?) smell and I think sandalwood (although speculation seems to vary on this blend--dragon's blood? allspice? cinnamon? patchouli? sandalwood?) Very faint, and I've only been wearing it for perhaps 1/2 hour. At about 2 hours and 45 minutes, I can *barely* smell this on my wrists. On my collarbone, it still has scent... I would say that it's not sandalwood after all but definitely a woody scent of some sort with a very barely there floral. Wear time: About 3 hours. Fits Description?: It does start sharp, but I wouldn't call it either heady or carnivorous. Overall: This one is interesting, a floral with a bit of pizzaz and a nice green tinge. However, its wear time is quite short and the floral component quickly wears off on me, leaving a pleasant, but primarily woody smell. The wear time kills this one a bit, as I think it's the shortest amount of time I've gotten from a BPAL fragrance.

Ok. I guess I can sort of see a cave, the idea of exploration--also I can smell rose, amber, tobacco, smoke, sandalwood, tea, lily, vanilla, and jasmine. The others maybe. Wet: Here's the thing... For me, the mix is off. My immediate response is that it's rather unpleasant. But this is holding my wrist to my nose. The lily scent is *strong*, and while I love them visually, they are rather harsh smelling flowers. On the other hand, it smells better from a distance (aka, just wearing it rather than giving it a good whiff) and it actually is a very pleasant, confidant, spicy musk when I don't get an olfactory attack from the lily. I think after it's been on for an hour or so, it will be better as the lily notes dissipate. Dry: After about an hour, the rather putrid lily scent takes a back seat. The result is a nice warm spicy scent (think the incense scent at a Buddhist or Taoist temple--or at least the ones I've been to) with definite lasting power. Might be a bottle in my future. Decisions...

I would say that sea air, kelp, spices, and leather were more or less left out. There is a woodsy, musky scent, over a very clean soap-ish smell. It's a nice scent. It's, however, too... fresh and clean for me. Not masculine at all for me. A bit disappointed that it doesn't bring up connotations of the sea, as I would love to have those memories in a scent.

The deepest, darkest point in a shadow; the area contained within the shadow of an eclipse. East African black patchouli, cedarwood, vetiver and a dribble of cinnamon. This smells unquestionably of red cedar. Hands down. I personally thought it was so strong as to be repulsive for the first couple of hours. After that, it settled to a nice level. However, this wasn't for me, as I have a little red cedar box from when I was a kid that I used to love. And, well, I smelled like... my box when I wore this. It's a strange psychological situation to smell like a box. (If you never owned a red cedar box, this type of wood does smell wonderful.) I did like it better the second time. I may eventually be able to overcome the box association. I've only tried 8 scents so far, but I would have to say this is the sexiest. It's definitely not feminine (which I prefer). If you like woodwork or you have fond memories of cedar tree scent, it's definitely worth a look.

Velvet: (frimp) On me: Putting this on, I immediately smelled like... a rich, spicy chocolate. Really deep, intense, intriguing--although I'm not sure I want to smell edible regardless. But that wore off after about 30 minutes, and then it mostly smelled of baby powder. My brother concluded that it was a bit "old lady-ish." The wear time for this one is less than 8 hours, while I've been getting upwards of 12 from others. Not the best option by far. Note: After some thought, I think that sandalwood tends to go to powder on me. So, others will probably have better luck with this one.

This one did not seem to have a particularly strong top or mid note, so it wore fairly consistently the entire time, which unfortunately was only around 6 hours on me. I would say the scent was a fairly gentle woody smell with a bit of spice and maybe even a hint of a floral. I can't be very specific here, as I couldn't necessarily pick any one scent out of this mix. Altogether very pleasant, but on the lighter side of musk scents. Overall: Not a bottle contender, but I do like it. (On me, it tends to go slightly sweet. I tried it on my sister, and it is far more dry and woody on her.)

Wear time: Around 8.5 hours. Ok. I've tried two scents with leather, and sadly I can't smell it in either. My main impression of this one is an incredibly sharp, pungent "scent experience." I think this starts as overload more than anything for me, and not in a particularly good way (ozone?). Eventually, it dies down to baby powder scent on my wrists; and, where trapped against my skin (my collarbone area), a slightly green, wet, musky spice with, ok, maybe a tiny tinge of leather and some aromatic wood. It does indeed smell... overgrown and old, which is interesting. Actually, re-reading the description, it does fit the "image" quite well. But I can't say that I particularly like it as a personal scent. And I really don't like it when it's drying (that sharp phase). Nor when it "baby powders" on me. I'm beginning to think the baby powder scent may be my body's reaction to white sandalwood. More experimentation necessary for proof. (Anybody know what notes tend to go to "baby powder"? I'd love to learn.) So, it's certainly interesting when dry but pre-baby powder phase. Nonetheless, my body chemistry doesn't seem to suit this scent. I find it interesting that so many seem to perceive it as masculine. I would go with gender neutral for all phases.

Wet and dry scent: This one didn't differ much at all wet to dry on me, so... that makes this easy. Basically, if you've ever had vanilla black tea (which is my personal favorite variety of black tea) that's what I smell. It is sweet, but not in a candy, sugary way. It's a very pleasant, refined, comfortable scent. Another one that I'm quite fond of. "Refined, elegant, and lovely, with a noble bearing and seemingly gentle air" does seem to fit the bill. The more I wear it, the more I like it. It's sweet and fresh, but not cloying or overly sharp. I also find that it isn't too feminine, which is fairly surprising to me. Not at all the sort of thing I would normally think to try, but I love it. Makes me happy the whole time I'm wearing it.

I have two reasons for posting here. First is a decidedly quick review. Second is a question. Ok, for me, I can't handle any scents straight from the bottle. So, I just skip that step. On me, this one begins *very* sharp and sweet--candied fruit and an obvious tinge of amaretto. It dries down to a deeper, muskier scent (the wine, I believe), but retains its sweetness. I find the amaretto intriguing, but I do think this one is rather too sweet for me. (I admit I took a chance on this one, as I have never been fond of fruity scents. More of a musk/woody/amber gal.) My question is this. This scent actually gives me an extremely bad headache when I wear it (None of the other scents I've tried do: Dorian, Kubla Khan, Velvet, Calico Jack, Oblivion, Umbra, and Black Tower.). I've given it two shots about a week apart to determine if it was the cause or not. It is. Does anybody know what note may be most likely to be causing this? I'm trying to pinpoint the problematic note (or combination of notes?), so that I can avoid it in the future. Thank you ahead of time!