puck_nc

Origin: Decant circle Initial Thoughts: There's not enough blends with wisteria. There weren't any notes of doom in this one, so I tried it. In the Vial: Cypress and juniper. A heavy, dark, green swampy scent with a sharp tinge from the jasmine. Wet: Still very much wet swamp at first and then a rather soapy sting of neroli and/or jasmine. I can't find my sweet wisteria anywhere. Drydown: The cedar amps on me and takes it from a swamp to a forest...still dark and green but not quite so earthy and watery. I can just make out the wisteria, buried deep in the background. Verdict: If you're looking for a scent that makes you feel like you're in the Bayou, try this.

Origin: Decant circle Initial Thoughts: Honeysuckle will always grab my attention. The fact that the amber is white and the musk is sandalwood take it out of instant death-note territory and into the realm of possibility. In the Vial: I'm picking up musk and a chilly edge, but what strikes me is that this is tripping my scent memory like crazy. I'm immediately overcome of memories of playing at my mom's makeup table as a little girl (1970s) because this smells exactly like one of the cheap Avon-style light musk perfumes she would use for daily wear (she kept the Chanel No. 5 for special occasions). As I keep sniffing, the pear is showing up and moving the scent away from my memory. Wet: A sweet and musky floral with the barest hint of the snow note. At this point the honeysuckle is doing me proud. Drydown: Other than amping as musk does on me, there's very little morph overall. The musk isn't defeating the honeysuckle, but I'm not getting a clear sniff of most of the other notes. And unfortunately, something is making my skin itch. Verdict: A very interesting experience with the first sniff, but I have other blends that let the honeysuckle shine.

Origin: decant circle Initial Thoughts: Basically, I had to try and know what kudzu smelled like. I've grown up around kudzu, seeing it take over barns and telephone poles and anything else foolish enough to stand still, but never noticed a scent. In the Vial: An initial blast of earthy green and then the ginger cream slides in. Wet: Ginger is the dominant note, with the earthy green kudzu underneath. Then the honey creeps in to smooth things over. Drydown: A very odd juxtaposition of foody with the ginger cream and honey against that greeny note with so much dirt in it. Verdict: I think I would have liked this very much if the kudzu had been swapped for a floral that works for me. The earth note just seems wrong to me.

Origin: Decant circle Initial Thoughts: I might be able to wear peach musk without amping it terribly. I'm not sure if the tuberose will behave like rose rose and go skanky-green on me. In the Vial: A pink floral with the chill of a snow note. Light and pretty. Wet: The musk comes out as musk does on me, but it's not mowing down the other notes. The chill is there as are the florals. Drydown: Well, it took a while, but eventually the musk did start to take over the scent. And what is left able to fight back is the chilly note which has morphed into an evergreen note. My impression now is of a very light and pretty Christmas tree. Verdict: I may keep and finish the decant, but I'm not sure I need a bottle given how many evergreen scents I have already.

Origin: decant circle Initial Thoughts: This blend had me almost squeeing out loud as I read the notes: stargazer lily, white gardenia, delphinium, magnolia, white musk and white sandalwood...the big hesitation was the white rose. I can only hope that all the other notes will keep the rose from going green-stem skanky on me. In the Vial: A sweet white crush of flowers with a whiff of sandalwood. *crosses fingers* Wet: Gardenia and lily and magnolia and now it's the musk providing just enough of a presence to tie them together. (please behave, rose, please behave...) Drydown: Thank you, perfume gods! Not even a hint of the stink that I can cause in a rose note. I have a very soft, gentle floral with the different notes blending into one very smooth whole. Verdict: My only complaint is just how little throw this has on me. Now, that makes it an excellent work scent, but I was hoping that so many of my favorite notes would produce something dazzling. Given just how many floral blends currently reside in my box, I'll have to think about whether to add another.

Origin: Decant Circle Initial Thoughts: I like peony and I've never smelled a vanilla orchid but thought it sounded divine. In the Vial: A cool spring floral with a strong undercurrent of sweetness. Very refreshing. Wet: Bright and fresh peony, cool orchid, and just enough vanilla to keep it from being leaf-and-stem green. Drydown: Not much morph to this one. Maybe it's a tad greener and less sweet than when wet, but it's still a lovely spring floral with that delicate thread of sweetness. Verdict: Gonna have to consider a bottle of this one.

Origin: Decant circle Initial Thoughts: Two of the three notes sounded so good that I thought I'd risk the honey. In the Vial: A very crisp fresh pear drizzled in sweetness. Wet: The top note is that pear, incredibly like holding an actual slice of pear to my nose. The honey comes in fast, but isn't overpowering at the moment. Drydown: Hm. The honey or maybe the vanilla has emerged, but something is off. It's like the cream has gone over slightly and there's this slightly metallic tinge that doesn't actually smell sour, but says "sour" in my head. Verdict: Poo. I really wanted this one to be great on me. But I'll probably use the decant in a scent locket, since it's the closest I'll probably ever get to a BPAL pear single note.

Origin: Decant circle Initial Thoughts: The ambrette seed and ambergris are iffy notes, but the thought of sugary coconut had me making the attempt. In the Vial: Warm coconut and incense, with a richness that may be the ambrette seed. Wet: The ambrette and champaca are making themselves known, with a heavy sweetness. Definitely an impression of skin, the skin of a very sensual person. Drydown: Poo. Amber-amber-amber amping it up. Totally eating the other notes. Verdict: Not for my skin chemistry.

Origin: decant circle Initial Thoughts: Honeysuckle and magnolia are two of my favorite flowers. I'm scared of the rose, but willing to try it. In the Vial: A crisp and sweet floral. It's very well blended, with no one note leaping forth yet. I like it well enough to start thinking about scent lockets. Wet: The rose is trying to pull its stinky-cooked-cabbage trick on me, but the other notes are keeping it just on the edge. Drydown: It's hovering so very annoyingly between "blech!" and "beautiful!" The skanky rose keeps lurking around while my treasured honeysuckle and magnolia just can't seem to break away. I don't know the other notes well enough to pick out. Verdict: I will be satisfied with using the decant in a scent locket and acknowledge yet again that rose doesn't like my skin. But floral fans who can do rose should try it.

Origin: decant circle Initial Thoughts: I always try cold woodsy scents if there are no obvious death notes. In the Vial: Cold juniper, so strong it approaches a medicinal eucalyptus. Very cold and clean. Wet: It almost immediately mellows into something spicy. It's still a cool scent, but no longer the frigid cold of before. Drydown: The juniper/eucalyptus comes back a bit to balance the spicy note, but the chilly note from the bottle is long gone. Verdict: It's an interesting unisex scent, but not the wintry woods I was hoping for.

Origin: decant circle Initial Thoughts: I tend to try any BPAL snow scent if there are no obvious death notes in the list. In the Vial: Chilly florals - the iris and lily are front and center. Wet: On me the hemlock seems to be acting musky, grounding the florals in the first sniffs. Drydown: Whatever chill there was in the scent seems to be swallowed up by the florals. The hemlock continues to imitate musk, but it's keeping the flowers from going too green or soapy on me. Verdict: A low-key floral musk. Pretty. We'll see if the decant empties fast enough to require a bottle.

Origin: decant circle Initial Thoughts: Like so many others, I also hunt for that twin to Skadi's wintry woods scent. In the Vial: Cold pine with a hint of sweet spices underneath. Wet: The scent starts out chilly and so far the pine is muted. Nice to have an evergreen scent that isn't ZOMG!pine. Drydown: The sweet-spicy note, possibly a berry note, gets stronger and makes a very balanced scent between the snow, the pine and the berry. Verdict: Ultimately this strikes me as a much softer version of Skadi, perhaps a version that can be worn at work or around people who might complain of a strong perfume. Not sure I'll need a bottle...must ponder.

Origin: Decant circle Initial Thoughts: I always try the Lick Its. The original remains one of my all-time favorites and I've found a couple since then worth decants but a couple have gone plasticky on me. In the Vial: Of course, mint and more mint. This one seems colder than some versions - perhaps it's the lower level of vanilla that some have mentioned. It's not quite as sinus-clearing as I remember one or two of them being. Wet: Sweet and very crisp mint. This one does lend itself to the inside of a York Peppermint Pattie comparison. And now it's almost sinus-clearing in its strength. Drydown: As it dries it is actually cooling my skin the way (if I remember correctly) the original did. The mint has softened somewhat, but it is still a most minty-sweet scent. Verdict: This one might be worth a bottle.

Origin: Decant Circle Initial Thoughts: I can usually do blue musk without amping. I like most of the floral notes and am not sure about the orange zest or green tea. In the Vial: I think I'm getting the lily the most. It's a very strong, kind of sterile white floral that makes me think of funeral parlors. Wet: Very lily still, with a bit of the orange zest and a hint of carnation. Drydown: The blue musk amps a bit and helps to kill the worst of the funeral-parlor lily. However, now the florals have gone soapy on me. I'm not sure of the culprit since this usually doesn't happen to me. Verdict: While I usually adore florals, this one isn't so good on me.

Origin: decant circle Initial Thoughts: I will almost always try a wintertime wood scent in the hopes of finding something that will mimic Skadi. The trick is finding ones I can wear as perfumes rather than use as room scents. In the Vial: Pine and cedar with a backdrop of sweet, as others have mentioned. Wet: I feel bowled over with cedar, as if I've opened up the chest in the bedroom where I keep the linens. It's rather interesting, as I'm used to evergreen BPAL scents relying on pine or fir. This is the first time I feel I've gotten so much cedar. Drydown: Very little morph through the drydown for me. This stays as close to what I would imagine a BPAL single note of cedar would be. It's bringing back memories of the cedar trees my dad would cut down on our property for Christmas, and how much of a pain they were to decorate. Verdict: I'm loving the cedar experience, but I'm not sure I'd go through a bottle of this. Must ponder.

Origin: decant circle Initial Thoughts: Love gardenia and vanilla bean. Like English pear. I hope the other three notes behave themselves. In the Vial: All spring-fresh and sweetness, with lots of pear and gardenia with a dash of rose. Even if it doesn't work on my skin, this will definitely get used in a scent locket. Wet: The rose tries to go skanky on me, but so far the other notes are beating it into submission. The red currant isn't too boozy, the honey isn't too sickly sweet. The pear and gardenia are prominent. Drydown: Darn it, it's making me itch. I used to never have this problem. I don't know if it's because of dry skin or what. Scent-wise it has smoothed out into a nice airy floral with a dash of sweetness. Verdict: I wish the pear was a bit stronger and definitely the vanilla. It's definitely a good subtle scent for work if you're a floral fan. I'll certainly keep the imp for my scent locket but I'm not sure I need a bottle.

Origin: Straight from the Lab Initial Thoughts: Honeysuckle is a favorite note of mine. I only hope it shines. In the Bottle: There is some honeysuckle, but there is also something that smells bitter. Not sure if it's the iris, jasmine, or orris root. It does give the impressions of darkness. Wet: The bitter impression turns earthy, which really makes me think the orris root is the culprit. Drydown: I get a touch of sweetness from the honeysuckle and a rich undertone from the musk. It ever so slowly morphs away from the bitter earthiness into a dark, rather understated sexiness. Verdict: Might be keeping this one.

Origin: Straight from the Lab Initial Thoughts: I will always consider a blend with wisteria, and I rarely see jonquil as a note. I think I remember champaca flower being in a couple of blends I like. No death notes in the mix. Worth a try. In the Bottle: Much darker and sexier than I expected - the sage is really strong. I agree with the impression of similarities with Poison, which was one of the few commercial perfumes I wore before discovering BPAL. Wet: SAGE! SAGE! SAGE! And the florals that manage to join it are taking on an herby quality as well. Definitely evokes a gathering darkness. Drydown: Still a bit herby with an undertone of florals and honey. The tea has emerged as well. Overall it's become sweeter than before and not quite so moody as the wet stage implied. Verdict: Not the noseful of wisteria I was hoping for, but a pretty scent. I will have to think on it.

Origin: Straight from the Lab Initial Thoughts: I must have been blinded by the carnation, because looking at the notes again I have to wonder what I was thinking. Red sandalwood is known to amp on me. I steer away from apricot after a very bad experience with Mad Hatter/March Hare (whichever one has the apricot in it). Rose can be a problem on me. Perhaps the purpose of vitality and creativity influenced me as I could use a little more of both these days. In the Bottle: A fruity citrus impression on a bed of gentle florals with a hint of spiciness. It does have a feel of the coming of the day to it: a chilliness that promises warmth later when the sun rises. Wet: The citrus note comes out first with a hint of the vanilla, but there's something lurking deep down that reminds me of the bad apricot experience. It also seems to be making my skin itch. Drydown: I think I'm getting a lot of grapefruit and grape now with just a little carnation. The lurking nastiness seems to have gone away and the sandalwood isn't taking over. It's sweet without being cloying and has warmed up a bit. I'm still itching just a little, but it's not enough to cause pain. Verdict: It's not nearly as vanilla and floral as I would have liked, but the problem notes aren't being a problem, either. I might play with this one a little before deciding whether to let it go.

Origin: bought on the forum Initial Thoughts: I'd love to know why I didn't try this one the first time around, as I am a nut for wisteria and there are no immediate deal-breaking notes here. In the Bottle: A sweet crush of flowers with a spicy background. Wet: Ah, my beloved wisteria is blooming nicely, along with the lilac and a dash of tea. Drydown: The musk comes out as it always does on me, but because it's a sheer musk it blends nicely with the rest of the notes rather than overwhelming them. It's a bouquet of sunwarmed spring flowers on my skin. Verdict: So glad I found a bottle!

What she said. I like my Joyful Moon and Juliet and Eos, but the best honeysuckle for honeysuckle's sake to be found (short of a return of BPAL single notes, maybe?) is elsewhere.

Origin: decant circle Initial Thoughts: This is one of those shot-in-the-dark picks. I love many florals. I hope indigo musk is close enough to blue musk not to amp on me. I'm not sure about opium tar and rose can go ugly on me. We'll see what happens. In the vial: I'm definitely getting the black currant and I think I'm getting the opium tar. The first impression is of a decadent plum pudding dessert. Wet: After an initial blast of the currant, the ylang ylang surges in to give an overall herbal cast to the scent. Drydown: Wow, the notes really come together and blend on this one. This reminds me of Bearded Lady in the sense that no one note is center stage - they mesh very well into a rich night floral with just the right balance between sophisticated and sweet and fresh. Verdict: I think a bottle of this is required.

Origin: decant circle Initial Thoughts: It must have been very late when I selected my decants, because a few that I bought, I'm now wondering why they made the list. I like pine. I like the possibility of wildflowers. I'm not sure about the cotton candy. Maybe it was the illustration. In the vial: Um...ew. My first mental impression was cat pee... that's not promising. A high, sharp scent with an unpleasant sourness. Wet: Okay, now it's Pine-Sol that's just been used to try and mask the litterbox. Whatever the florals are in here or whichever pine note it is, something really doesn't like me right now. Drydown: Wow, thank goodness! The cotton candy sweetened and the florals bloomed and I am guessing the pine has been beaten into submission. It is now a soft and very sweet floral scent. Verdict: Well, it quickly ends as something beautiful. Not sure about a bottle, though.

Origin: decant circle Initial Thoughts: I think I was struck by the simplicity of the combination. It's been a while since a new BPAL had such a succinct description. In the vial: Very green with a sandalwood base. Bright and crisp. Wet: About the same as in the vial, with my skin causing a tinge of sweetness somewhere. Drydown: The sandalwood wins out, dominating the ivy into a thin green background, but something in this is making my skin sting and itch. Verdict: Well, this one obviously needs another home.

Origin: decant circle Initial Thoughts: I think at one point in the very, very long list of Weenies, I started picking everything that had vanilla and didn't have an immediate death note. Otherwise I cannot explain why I chose this one... In the vial: Extremely dark, sweet and rich pumpkin, with a woody undertone. Wet: It being my skin, the blonde wood jumps out first...wonder if it's a sandalwood? But it morphs very quickly into more pumpkin and vanilla. Drydown: The linen peeks out and gives the whole thing an airy quality without the sharpness that ozone would add. Under that it stays a very sweet, slightly nutty pumpkin. Verdict: I am waffles. I don't think I need a bottle, but I don't know if I'll use up the imp.