The_Merf

In the imp: I see where people are getting the pineapple scent, but I'm pretty sure I recognize the spikenard and some of the olive. Wet: This smells very close to the oils that I work with in church, but not exactly. The olive is strongest. Drydown and wear: The herbs--I'm guessing the hyssop in particular--start to emerge as the scent dries. I'm actually reminded a bit of Neftertiti here. There is a very pure and sanctified quality to this oil. It's also got great throw. I'm having great luck with the imps I'm trying on this go-around; this is another one that I'll be holding onto.

The dry, thin scent of a draconic ossuary. Dragon's blood resin with white sandalwood, dusty orris and crisp blondewood. In the imp: This is very interesting. I've tried a lot of dragon's blood blends, and this is among the most distinctive (Dragon Moon is probably the most distinctive). The orris is very prominent, as is the sandalwood. Wet: As others have mentioned, this is a very resinous scent, and the sandalwood is probably the strongest of the two woods. It gives a creamy edge to the orris, but you can also feel the solidity of the blondewood. Drydown and wear: The dragon's blood never really emerged as the orris takes this blend over in the drydown stage. Orris is a note that I'm really enamored of. It is so dry that the result on my skin is almost smoky, and I love that. The sandalwood offers such an interesting contrast that does not completely go away. I'm going to put this one on my top list.

In the imp: Oh my gawd, this is sweet dragon's blood. I'm also picking up on the cassia and the pomengranate. I don't get any sense of smoke from this blend. Wet: This smells a lot like it did in the imp, except that the cassia is much stronger. I'm avoiding the potpurri smell that others have described, but just barely. The mimosa and pomengranate give this a unique kick. Drydown and wear: During the drydown phase this gets very strong and smoky, but only for a brief time on my skin. After that moment, the cassia is not as a strong and the other notes start to blend together. However, at this time the blend starts to fade on my skin. In the last stages of the oil, the pomengranate and dragon's blood itself are the strongest notes. The dragon's blood, which is difficult to detect in the wet phase, is the last thing I smell before it really fades away. There is a bit of powder left over at the very end. I'm surprised this turned out as well as it did, given the really sweet smell in the imp. I'm swimming in bottles right now, so I don't think I'll get a 5mL right now, but I will hold onto the imp.

In the imp: This isn't immediately obvious, but that only makes sense, since I haven't tried anything with a grapefruit note before. Wet: This is very strong, and fruity. I can definitely detect grapefruit, but there's something spicy underneath--perhaps the currant? Drydown and wear: Yes, the currant and musk are at work here, giving this a very interesting and languid quality. There's a real spicy kick to this that is more appealing to me as it dries down. This is not a scent I was expecting to be all that enamored with, and I really enjoy it.

In the imp: Very cherry. I fear for this. I don't mind the almond/cherry smell, but it is usually rather strong and renders the other complexities of the blend nonexistent. Wet: At the initial application, the cherry is very strong, but the other notes, particularly the lavender and the musks, start to blend right away. The resulting scent is a light, creamy cherry that is actually quite appealing. Drydown and wear: The scent continues on the same trajectory during drydown, with the cherry becoming less prominent and the lavender and musks gaining in strength. It does fade quicker than most scents, but I still think it is an excellent scent for those who are looking for a more subdued cherry. I won't get a bottle, but I will keep the frimp, and as always, I thank the Lab for their generosity.

Why did I wait so long... In the imp: Pipe tobacco and ambergris Wet: Strong pipe tobacco. Strong, beautiful, sweet, fresh pipe tobacco. The incense begins to emerge very quickly after application, and a friend of mine said that she could detect the myrrh as well. I know that the ambergris is there, but it has faded into the background. Drydown and wear: This is strong, it has great throw, and it dries down to a lovely, homey combination of pipe tobacco and incense. There is a sense of smoke from a crackling fire (much like what I wanted from oils like Djinn and Brimstone). There's more teeth in this blend, from the incense and ambergris, than there is in Herr Drosselmeyer, which is softer because of the parchment notes. However, I think it's the same, or a closely related tobacco note. I'm glad that Kindly Moon is going up tonight, because that gives me an excuse to get a bottle of this right away. I've been searching for something like this for quite some time, and I anticipate that this will become one of my favorite scents.

In the imp: I am generally miserable at picking out notes from the Voodoo Blends, but I can generally get a sense of how they might smell on me. I'm at a loss here. Wet: This is soft, white, wet flowers on me. Normally I wouldn't like it, but there is a juicy note (I'm not getting the grape that others have, but it's something close) that offsets it. Drydown and wear: I'm really glad that this smells nice on me--it remains a plump, sweet, but not loud, floral. I like the properties that this oil stands for, and I would hate for it to go 'meh' on me. I'll probably have to try it one more time on its own, but I may bottle it. At the least I will get another imp.

In the imp: Almonds! Wet: Some sort of fruit that I wasn't able to identify and almonds. Perhaps I failed to distinguish between the smell of almonds and the smell of cherries themselves? Drydown and wear: This remains almonds/cherry. It's never been one of my favorite scents, alas. Off to the swaps. Then again, I could use extra cash. It would mean more BPAL.

In the imp: Apple and amber. Much in the way that tea rose and violet run alongside each other in Marie, the two main notes in this oil are very distinct in the imp. Wet: The scents remain distinct, although as others have mentioned, there is a buttery undertone to everything that comes from the amber. The crispness of the apple is 'on top.' Drydown and wear: Much the same as the wet stage. Perhaps the amber starts to blend with the apple, but this is well after the oil loses its strength.

In the imp: I do smell the jasmine leading, but I can also pick up on the sandalwood and cardamon. Wet: The sandalwood is very strong at first. The jasmine is also there. The other florals are mixing, but nothing is as strong as those two notes, which are 'favorites' of my skin. Drydown and wear: This ends up as a light jasmine, nothing as heady as Nyx or New Orleans. It is a very light scent overall. It's quite pretty and youthful. I'm waffling about putting this on my bottle list, but I have noticed myself frequently reaching for the imp.

In the imp: All I can really pick up on are the patchouli and parchment notes. If I sniff hard, I can find the lavender. I'm surprised by this, as there are some "loud" notes in here. Wet: Parchment and patchouli, all the way. Now I cannot even pick up the lavender. Drydown and wear: When I smell this spot later, all I can smell is old, dry patchouli. It's now merged with the parchment notes. I cannot detect anything else. This surprises me, as my skin often amps orange (to my disdain). However, this blend could use a splash of that.

In the imp: This smells very lemony, though I can detect the honeysuckle as well. Wet: Very strong lemon, but I have faith that other notes will emerge, as lemon comes on strong and then plays nicely on drydown. Drydown and wear: I was correct. This is a lovely, soft and "eloquent" blend. To my great horror, I decapitated the imp (my second one in three months), so I will have to replace it.

In the imp: I can't pick out anything distinct, but I am largely unfamiliar with storax and balsam. I don't smell a lot of myrrh, which is something I am most familiar with. Wet: This is autumn/Harvest/fall gold. The honey-like quality really emerges, but doesn't go immediately foul like most things with honey do on my skin. There's almost a pumpkin or nutty edge to this. It smells like it could be coming from a freshly baked pie. Drydown and wear: This stays pretty constant, but the pie/pumpkin/nutty/honey edge is a bit rich for me--this almost reminds me of the first stage of Devil's Night that did not sit well with me.

In the imp: This smells herbal with a golden base. Very nice. Wet: The herbal scent dies down, and you're left with something very "golden." I haven't tried a lot of the other 'golden' scents (like Aureus), so I don't have a good basis for comparison. It's nice, but very faint. Drydown and wear: This vanishes pretty quickly into my skin. The oil leaves a golden highlight, but I do wish it was stronger.

Oh, it's my first real BPAL heartbreak! In the imp: This smells great--I can pick up on the dragon's blood, the wine and general berry scents quite easily. Wet: Whee! This is great--what a quintessential winter scent. It smells exactly like Christmas. It's a mix of old leather furniture, spiced wine and winter trees. The berries add a festive flavor. All is well... Drydown and wear: I look at my arm. Eh? Welts?! I've tried all sorts of weird stuff, as well as many cinnamon blends, and I've never gotten welts before! They did not go away, and they even started popping up on places where I had not applied the oil. I had to scrub thoroughly, and it still took 3-4 hours for the welts to start going down. What a shame. My sister gets lucky.

In the box: You see, this imp aspolded en route and was scenting up the whole works when I opened my package. Fortunately, I liked what I smelled. Wet: I found enough to rub on my skin, and it was an interesting mix of lemon and the spicy floral of orchid. The bergamot/white musk combination worked almost exactly like it did in Dorian, but somehow was much better with my chemistry. Drydown and wear: I quite liked this--I think that the deeper notes were able to effectively deal with ones that don't work on me so well. I fully intend on ordering another imp to replace the broken one.

In the imp: Very, very sharp. I'm going to attribute this to the juniper, because I like cypress, and I don't think this smells like eucalyptus. Wet: This is piercing. Juniper and I have an unsteady relationship, and I think the eucalyptus might be more culpable here than I originally figured. Drydown and wear: This becomes very interesting--it settles and somehow goes from sharp to "highlighting." This is what I imagine skin turned blue under the moonlight would smell like. Another fascinating creation from the Lab!

In the imp: Erm, this does smell a little off to me. Oddly enough, I don't think it is necessarily the civet--anise isn't so great on me either. I think that the combination might be causing the trouble. Wet: For all I've heard about this oil, it doesn't start off too bad--the licorice that many have described. However, about 10 mins. in, it goes into this "aaagh, untimely death!" phase that almost made me throw up. I endured though...yea, verily. Drydown and wear: After the wretched stage that lasts about 2-3 minutes, the oil settles back down into the licorice, and eventually fades into a very thin and airy scent that is probably the lichen. It's a really fascinating and unique oil, and I'm very appreciative (as always) for the frimp, but I am drowning in perfume, so I'm going to pass this one on. However, I encourage everyone to give this a try, just for the experience.

In the imp: All tea rose, baby. I sniffed this next to my imp of London and while this one is indeed duskier, it's hard to tell without something else for comparison. Wet: The violet comes on stronger than I thought it would, but this is still clearly dominated by the tea rose. Drydown and wear: I agree with what many above me have said about the scent--the violet and tea rose operate on separate tracks. It also strikes me as a British scent and very aristocratic.

In the imp: Yes, this does smell like sugar and vanilla, with a spicy kick. Wet: This is very thick going on my skin and actully smells quite sweet. Then again, what would you expect from sugared vanilla? The spices almost smell like someone added deep fruits to the mix. Drydown and wear: I know no one's going to believe me, but this disappears really fast! What is left is that vanilla/fruity combination. It remains very sweet and almost demure on me--it doesn't seem to take that darkening step that it does with many. However, on the advice of just about everyone, I am going to let this imp age and try it again in a few months.

In the imp: Florals--I can't really tell any of them apart, though I don't know wisteria all that well. Wet: Wow, the rose really comes out on my skin (and I don't usually amp rose--at least I don't think I do!). Drydown and wear: This stays very rosey and does a a powdery drydown. It's very nice in the imp, but I think it would be served better by someone else's chemistry or someone who really loves roses.

In the imp: This is really indistinct. It's hard for me to get a handle on anything here. I usually find vetiver very distinctive, and I'm surprised that I cannot detect it. Wet: I'm really surprised by this--I get a melange of flowers that I suppose is slightly dampened by the vetiver. I don't catch much of the cinnamon or the leather. Drydown and wear: This starts to smell a bit stale on my arm, like the leather, which emerges, is doused with sweat. It also vanishes quite quickly.

In the bottle: Leather and orange blossom combine for a very clean smell. Wet: It took me a second, but I think I've nailed this: this smells like my leather riding tack when it is being cleaned with glycerin saddle soap. The question for the drydown stage is whether it will choose to go soapy or if the incense will show itself. Drydown and wear: Man, my skin must be rude or something, because it seems like all these scents are disappearing rather quickly. This takes on a clean masculine edge (I know instinctively that there's leather at work here, but I'll be darned if I can describe it). The incense starts to creep out a bit. Since I just used a test spot, this incense stage is hard to detect, but I figure that once the oil is working on its own, I should quite like it. I have a feeling this could become a quirky favorite of mine.

In the bottle: Powerful cherries, definitely veering into cough syrup territory. Wet: Where did it go? I had to apply more than usual to prevent it from vanishing into my skin. I can't believe how subdued this is. Drydown and wear: Geez, I was trying the oil just as a formality--when I opened the bottle and took a whiff, I thought I would definitely be swapping it out. However, it is so light that I think I will hold on to the bottle. In fact, I'm surprised at the lack of throw here. From what I can detect, the woody notes are starting to emerge, and they really dominate the blend. The oil seems to actually pick up some strength as it goes, and the woody notes become stronger (not surprising, as my skin tends to amp the woody and resinous). There's cherry on the fringes here, but you never take a whiff and go, "whoa, cherries."

In the bottle: Cypress and florals--though this is a bright cypress, so I get a touch of green, not black, from this oil. Wet: This is cypress and the black narcissus note from Languor (I'd almost ask if there was any poppy in here, because the two scents actually smell similar at this point). The overall result is floral. Drydown and wear: This remains rather floral--I smell something akin to jasmine, which I imagine is the stephanotis, and that mingles with the narcissus note and the cypress. This really does remind me of Languor, except that the cypress gives this more definition.