The_Merf

In the imp: Almost exclusively cypress. Wet: Very strong cypress, though not nearly as bright as the cypress found in scents like Medea. Drydown and wear: I had a feeling this was going to be a morpher, and I was right. As the oil starts to dry down, the frankincense emerges, and what I guess is the hazelnut comes out as well. Sadly that most complex stage does not last long, and we're back to a frankincense/cypress combination.

In the imp: I smell the roses, and the musk. Wet: For a few seconds this is very rosey, and I fear that the other notes will not support it. However, the amber soon emerges. Drydown and wear: This remains a very pretty amber and rose combination. I love what the amber is doing here--most of the amber blends I've been trying lately were missing, but this one is lovely. I'm quite glad to have a bottle.

In the imp: Caramel popcorn Wet: This is not nearly as strong as some of its buttery and foody cousins, thank the maker, and the combination of pumpkin and nutmeg is more appealing than I thought it would be. Drydown and wear: This keeps its buttery edge--I think people who like the early stages of something like Devil's Night might really find this appealing. It's a bit too autumn for me, and I don't do room scents (which might be another good use for this), so I think I shall swap the imp.

In the imp: This smells like orchids dipped in sandalwood. Wet: This is much softer than I thought it would be. I'm going through an orchid scent testing phase, and I really had my hopes pinned on this one. However, there are a lot of other notes, particularly the sandalwood and the other florals. Drydown and wear: This remains a fragrance where no one note dominates. I should not be surprised, as there are many notes in this blend that often amp up on my skin. I have another imp of this on the way, and I think I'll be more than happy with the two imps for now.

In the imp: The lab's cocoa note is very strong to my nose and tends to dominate whenever it is in an imp. I can't smell much else, but I'll bet the patchouli comes out on my skin. Wet: Yep. Patchouli and chocolate. I would like the incense to emerge. Drydown and wear: It stays patchouli and chocolate, with the cocoa leading. This one fades quicker than the other cocoa scents I've worked with. After the cocoa fades, I get some incense, but it takes quite some time.

In the imp: Minty Wet: This stays very minty...is this the pennyroyal? Drydown and wear: I think the black musk is finally starting to emerge a little bit to balance out the mint. I had no idea that this fragrance would turn out this way, and I do like it. It also has nice staying power.

In the imp: At first, this smells nice and light, but there is a soapy edge to it. Wet: This goes soapy very quickly. Drydown and wear: This remains soapy, and that means, alas, I shall have to swap. I fear the white musk is the culprit--there aren't enough strong notes to drown it out. EDITED TO ADD: After about forty minutes, I was sniffing around my arm checking out other scents, and I picked up on some frankincense, and I had no idea where it was coming from...I finally figured out that it was the last phase of this scent.

In the imp: There be cocoa in them thar imps. I know this isn't straight cocoa, but I can't smell much else. Wet: I don't know if I'm picking up on the fig or the palm leaf, but it does not mix with the cocoa. Drydown and wear: It is pretty same from the wet stage, and there's something about the particular combination that does not work with my skin.

In the imp: I'm detecting the musk, the amber and some sort of earthy note (is it the vetiver or the woods...I can't tell). Wet: Whoa floral! That was not what I was expecting. Florals and musk. Drydown and wear: The imperial florals (because I do not smell the violet) and the golden musk (perhaps also the amber) dominate this blend. The musk gets stronger and stronger, and while it's not as bad as some musks are on me, I don't really like musk-dominated scents unless they are red musk scents. I think I'm going to swap this one.

In the imp: Like many have said, this one's tricky to pin down. There's a jumble of notes involved and this is one of those oils where you catch a different thing with each sniff. If I had to pick out consistent notes, I'd say patchouli and lavender. Wet: The patchouli and lavender come to the fore, which is an interesting combination. I've tried this and Great Sword, and it seems like all the Come and See scents are perfectly composed 'chaotic' oils. They're quietly impressive. Drydown and wear: Nothing really seems to be able to move ahead of the patchouli and lavender. My skin must amp lavender, because it really is the dominant note. I'm sad that the array of notes that are clearly present in the imp are not coming out on my skin. I think I'll have to swap this one--it is unique and interesting, but not for me.

In the imp: I don't know if I'm getting used to the components in this line, or if I just encountered my least favorites first, or what, but I am happier with each Voodoo Blend I smell. This one is really nice--I detect citrus (a very soft lemon?) and some sort of floral. Wet: This remains a citrusy floral on me. Drydown and wear: This is really quite lovely. I mean, it's just really pretty. We'll see how this one's properties work--I think I'm going to get a light scent in my next order, and this might be one of those bottles.

In the imp: I've seen those threads that debate the presence of coconut in Perversion, and I don't know if they've ever been settled, but I wouldn't be surprised if there was coconut there, because I smell a great similarity between that scent and Blood Pearl in the imp. Wet: This is all coconut on me. I guess I really don't dislike it as much as I thought I did. I don't detect the musks, so it must be the orris--and I'm having a hard time describing what it smells like--that is adding some depth here. Drydown and wear: This becomes "coconut + something," and I have to admit that I quite like it. It becomes more of a skin scent and lingers. This one is hard for me to get a handle on, but I look forward to going through the imp and trying it again.

In the imp: As they said in Rome, the thing is what it is. As just about everyone else has said, this is milk chocolate. Wet: This stars out like Velvet, which is one of those scents that I was "meh" about at first, but that I like the more I think about it. Drydown and wear: I don't know if anyone else is familiar with the perfumes done by Comptoir Sud Pacifique, but they used a lot of cocoa, vanilla and fruit notes (they were one of my favorite perfumers before I discovered BPAL). Bliss is a dead ringer for their cocoa notes. I like Velvet better, but I will keep this imp, and try layering it as others have suggested.

In the bottle: I smell the grape spirit and something fresh...whether it is the mint or the rosemary, I can't tell. Wet: The grape is the strongest first, and it does smell like fresh squeezed juice. However, I can also detect the mint and rosemary in the background. Drydown and wear: This is not as strong as I'd like it to be (then again, there usually needs to be a resin involved for a scent to really stick to me), but it goes through a nice morphing. The roses come out, and the grape spirit recedes into the background. It is very pleasant, and I love the concept, so I'm glad I have a bottle.

In the imp: honeysuckle planted in blackest soil Wet: Yee-haw--this is a really dark honeysuckle Drydown and wear: This is a very spring scent--I agree with the person above who called it Easter flowers. Perhaps its the Triduum flowers; Eos is the joy and unrestrained light of Easter. There is a dignity and austerity that the darker notes lend to this scent. It is on the brink of joy, but something holds it back, something is being considered. This is fantastic, and it will go on my bottle list.

In the imp: I get a real jumble here (not surprising, given the list of notes), but the mint and something that smells dismayingly like melon stand out. Where is the tobacco? Wet: I'm about to have a tantrum here, 'cause there's still no tobacco. It's all mint and that annoying melon-like smell. Drydown and wear: To paraphrase Jack Sparrow: "WHY IS THE TOBACCO GONE?" *throws tantrum* I don't want the mint or the basalm, or the pine note--they're all too sharp. I want the tobacco!!!

In the imp: Hey! Leather note from Iago, my good friend...it's always a pleasure to sniff you. Wet: No change. Drydown and wear: No change. Just how I like it. Man, this stuff makes me want to chew my arm off. I'd try this out on some of my male friends for curiosity's sake, but that would mean less of it for ME.

In the imp: What a unique scent. I'm very excited to try this on. Clearly the cocoa and the mandarin are the most prominent notes. I don't know how, exactly, but this does manage to make me think of a very old sword sheathed in leather and covered with an old cloth. Wet: Cocoa and orange sound so wrong together, but are really so right. Drydown and wear: I really do like this. I'm not sure if I'd get a bottle of it, but I will definitely use up the imp. There are also herbs wandering around in the background that emerge after it has been on my skin for quite some time.

In the imp: What a beautiful, bright cranberry. The spice adds some depth and grounding. Wet: Very true to the smell in the imp Drydown and wear: The spices and florals emerge to compete with the cranberry upon drydown. It fades quicker than I would like (this seems to be a theme with the scents I'm trying today). However, what remains is very lovely. I do love me some cranberries.

In the imp: Excellent--another hothouse floral. I'm always on the lookout for "down home" scents, and this one strikes me as quite Georgian, with the characteristic magnolia. However, there's something weird here. I can't put my finger on it. I know it's not the jasmine, so it's probably either the rose or the orchid, and it's quite sharp. Wet: The base floral is being pushed back by whatever it is that is distracting my nose. I think it is the rose, and it is a sharp, heady "classic" rose. Drydown and wear: The rose settles down a little bit, but it still dominates the entire blend This is quite sad, as magnolia and orchid are two of my favorite florals and I liked the bit of steam that the amber (which fades fast) added to the proceedings. However, I'm going to have to swap this one.

In the imp: This smells indolent (in a good way), very languid and appropriate, given the name. The dragon's blood in this, as others have pointed out, is very light and floral. Wet: Hello? Anyone at home? Drydown and wear: As is wont to happen with some lighter dragon's blood scents, this particular oil fades on me very quickly. What I can smell is the lilac that is usually an indicator of a dragon's blood scent that has rested on my skin overnight, not for 15 minutes. Such a shame--I loved the description of this and the Claw and picked the Reverie to go first...

In the imp: Dragon's blood. And musks. Wet: Dragon's blood. And musks. Drydown and wear: I wish this scent would do something on my skin. The musk is really quite feral--I don't usually feel overpowered by scents, but the rawness of the musk notes is rather striking. I think this could be really, really awesome on the right person--someone whose skin really does something beautiful with musks.

In the imp: Strawberries. I hate strawberries. I love all the other notes in this oil, but the strawberry is indeed strong. Wet: To my utmost surprise, the cherry is dominant on my skin intially. Drydown and wear: This is not nearly as sweet as I thought it would be on my skin. The cherry remains the dominant note and turns pretty innocuous pretty quickly. I don't have any real objections to this scent, but I'll bet my mother, who loves cherry, will appreciate this more than I can.

In the imp: Cherry wine? I absolutey get that cherry chewables scent from the imp, but there's a liquid quality to it (however, it is not cherry cough syrup). Wet: This blows up as children's chewables on my skin and it is very cherry. I wonder how closely related the wine note in this scent is to the wine note in Lady Macbeth, because the two oils have a similar reaction. Drydown and wear: The rose does an excellent job of taming this scent affter a few minutes. There is still a heathery scent of cherry on the edges, but the rose really stands out. I'm surprised that I'm not getting more from the dragon's blood note in this oil. I like this as it dries down--it is very sophisticated, and one of the more striking BPAL rose oils I've tried.

In the imp: Yet another scent from Beth that is dead-on to the description. This smells exactly like a very old, very weathered ship: there's wood and the general idea that salt has been rubbed and worn into every available surface. Wet: Although the scent is true to the name, I'm not sure if this is something I want to smell like. It really does smell like briny ocean water. Drydown and wear: I guess what was contributing the "brine" was the rum, which becomes more prominent (and familiar) as the scent dries down. The dominant smell from this is still the salted wood. While it's a cool concept, I'm afraid it's not for me.