puck_nc

Origin: frimp from an Inquisition circle Initial Thoughts: In my first searches through the massive catalog that is BPAL, either I nixed this because of the mention of aquatic notes or I found it after I learned that some rose and pomegranate notes aren't at their best on my skin. But, never turn down a frimp with no firm deal-breakers! In the Vial: Lightly fruity, freshly floral, with a cool aquatic undercurrent. A pretty, feminine spring-like scent. Wet: Sweet and light fruit, all warm and golden. More summer than spring at this stage. Drydown: The aquatic comes out a bit more, along with the floral and finally a hint of those autumn breezes. It stays sweet with a fruity grounding throughout. Verdict: I like this a lot more than I expected I would. We'll see how long the imp lasts...

Origin: Straight from the Lab Initial Thoughts: I am all about silver. One of my favorite colors, my favorite metal, symbol of my favorite planet, etc. and so on. So when I saw no notes that shouted "Danger, Will Robinson!" I had to try it. In the Bottle: Most definitely cool silver. Herbal notes overlaying fruit as if the pear were coated in a thin sheen of glassy silver. Wet: On my skin, this is much more an herby floral than a herby fruit. The herbals are softer and sweeter than the usual sharp medicine-y or spicy notes I associate with "herbal" notes. The dominant impression is still cool and silvery, like a full-moon night setting the garden aglow. Drydown: The herbals finally sharpen somewhat, giving a metallic tinge to a scent that has no metals listed. It's also irritating my skin where I tested it and I don't know if that's me reacting to a note or just the cold dry weather here (a couple other oils have made my skin itch and burn a little this week). Verdict: I think I will try this again in a few days and see if it behaves any better.

Origin: Straight from the Lab Initial Thoughts: I had heard the buzz about Hod being a holy grail of carnation, but didn't get around to ordering it before it went poof. I'm very glad for the chance to try it now. In the Bottle: Spicy carnation and velvety musk. It's like what I remember from Bathsheba, but seems to have many more layers to it. My mental image is a bouquet of carnations on a glossy mink coat. Wet: A smooth, silky musk and over it the freshest carnation I can ever remember smelling in a perfume. I've had the "fresh flower" experience once or twice with rose (which usually leads to my "stinky cooked cabbage" skin chemistry issue), but I'm not getting that nasty morph yet here. It's the scent of burying my nose in that wonderful carnation. Drydown: It took a while, but the musk is finally amping on me. What was a carnation scent enhanced by musk is now a musk scent with a thread of carnation in it. Verdict: Well, now I know. This is beautiful, but I get a much better carnation experience with Bathsheba.

Ylang ylang, osmanthus, spring berries, and daffodil cloaked in hoarfrost. Origin: decant from eviltemptressdq's circle Initial Thoughts: I didn't try this back in 2006. Maybe it was because I was still relatively new to BPAL then and inexperienced. Maybe I looked at "berries" and associated it with blackberry/raspberry. Maybe I looked at "hoarfrost" and assumed "dirt". Whatever the reason, I saw the daffodil this time around and decided to try it. In the Vial: The evergreen version of the BPAL snow notes, with an herbal undertone. Reminiscent of Skadi, if I remember correctly, and of Mistletoe and this year's The First Soft Snow. Wet: The evergreen is strong, but underneath there are florals stirring and an edge that I think is the berry. This is so chilly it's still cool on my skin after several sniffs. Drydown: I need to do a side-by-side to be sure, but this is most definitely giving me a Skadi vibe. Rich cool evergreens with an underlying tinge of berry and floral and herbal. Verdict: If the side-by-side confirms that this is the closest to Skadi I'll ever get beyond my half-decant, I'll definitely be grabbing a bottle or two.

Origin: decant from eviltemptressdq's circle Initial Thoughts: I love port. I like jelly. I've always been curious to taste it. This could be the next best thing. In the Vial: Incredibly red boozy jelly. Way strong on the red currant after the first sniff. Wet: Sweeter than in the bottle and not quite so boozy after the first few seconds. Deep, rich, fruit with an alcohol undertone. Drydown: This one seems to fade on me pretty quickly. After only ten minutes or so I'm getting a much fainter scent. A lot of the fruit has thinned out and while the alcohol remains, it's a wine that's a pale shadow of its former self. Verdict: I'll play with the decant some more to see if I can make the rich, robust stage hang around a bit longer.

Origin: decant from eviltemptressdq's circle Initial Thoughts: The original Lick It is one of my all-time favorites and I hoard my precious 2 1/2 bottles of it. Later editions have not quite captured the original magic for me, either going plasticky or stale on me, although last year's came close. Time to try again. In the Vial: Pure candy cane in a bottle. Perhaps this year's is slightly less sweet, maybe. Wet: Sharp, cold mint, with hints of sugar. This feels kind of like sticking my nose in an Altoids tin. Drydown: This is staying very strongly minty on me. I don't think it's as sweet as my aged original, but at least I'm not getting plastic like I have at other times. Verdict: I think this may be a bottle-or-two purchase. If it ages as beautifully as Lick It has, getting a couple now will extend my supply that many more years into the future.

Origin: decant from eviltemptressdq's circle Initial Thoughts: I like trying snow scents, I like florals. In the Vial: Very softly minty snow, with a warmth behind it that's probably the mums. Wet: The mint softens even more, and there's the mum! I think it's my first time getting chrysanthemum as a perfume note so strongly, and I like it! Drydown: Hm. Either the mint has soured or mums don't like my skin. Something has gone kind of stale. Verdict: I'll try it again to be sure, but sadly, at the moment this isn't a keeper.

Origin: decant from eviltemptressdq's circle Initial Thoughts: I love trying snow scents, though not many smell pretty on me. I am not very familiar with narcissus, but I love florals in general and am very willing to try narcissus as a starring note. In the Vial: A strong snowy scent that has an evergreen edge to my nose, with a very sweet, fresh and delicate floral threading through it. It reminds me of other cold green scents...I think I'll be digging out my Mistletoe '04 and my precious half-decant of Skadi for some side-by-side comparisons. Wet: The first whiff of this on my skin is breathtaking! The evergreen is muted a bit without losing any of the cold impression and the sweetly fresh floral is stronger. Drydown: The evergreen strengthens again and now my impression is of a Christmas tree, decorated with lovely garlands of fresh white flowers. Verdict: I like it, but I think I will be doing a few side-by-sides with my current arsenal to decide whether I need a bottle.

Origin: bottle bought through eviltemptressdq's decant circle Initial Thoughts: Love trying vanilla scents. Iffy on rose scents. Like some cold scents with the right notes complementing them. Seeing the comparisons to Snow-White has made me worry, as Snow-White pulled a nasty "dirty-dishwater" trick on my skin. In the Bottle: The first sniff is cold rose. The second sniff brings out the sweet, sweet vanilla. Very feminine and pretty. Wet: The chill backs off, leaving very sweet vanilla and rose. So far, they're playing well together, although I can tell the rose is trying to see if it can pull its famous "stinky cooked cabbage" stunt on me. Drydown: Dammit. The rose is trying really hard to go stinky-bad. The vanilla is keeping it from being terrible the way Peacock Queen went terrible on me, but now I'm hyper-aware that it's lurking just under the surface. And that's distracting me from the very pretty vanilla. And the chilly edge is nowhere to be found. Verdict: I'll probably try it once or twice more in a few days to be sure, but if it stays like this, I probably won't keep it.

Origin: Straight from the Lab Initial Thoughts: I probably avoided this one at first because of the musk-word. Since getting into BPAL I've learned that the lighter musks sometimes behave on me. Still not sure about the aquatic notes, but I've been looking for gardenia lately and needed to round out an imp pack. In the Vial: Watery ginger over a faint floral background. Wet: Very light ginger musk, very aquatic. Drydown: The gardenia blooms and tones down the aquatic to a level I can handle. The musk has not amped alarmingly as musk can do on me. Verdict: Keeping the imp. We'll see whether I use it fast enough to need a bottle.

Origin: Straight from the Lab Initial Thoughts: Sheer curiosity. I needed to round out an imp pack and threw it in on impulse. In the Vial: Rather herby and masculine. Wet: Dusty wood. I'm not getting any rose yet at all. Just dry and dusty and woodsy. Drydown: The edge and the dust soften, but it's still overwhelmingly woodsy on me. Verdict: Definitely not for me. Might be for my husband. Anyone who loves wood notes ought to try it.

Origin: Straight from the Lab Initial Thoughts: Anything with star jasmine will make me pause and take a closer look. I can usually handle skin musk without amping it and I hope pink musk is the same. The myrrh makes me pause, as does the white amber; I'm not sure I can get away with the lighter side of the amber spectrum the way I can with musk. In the Vial: Very pink and sweet. Girly without being candy-ish. I find it hard to believe there's so much myrrh and amber and musk in it, since I associate those notes with darker scents. Wet: Myrrh, sandalwood, musk, amber. All the ampers are amping, even though it's a lighter, more feminine amping. I can't find a trace of my beloved star jasmine. Drydown: Gets a little deeper, more womanly than before. Verdict: A lovely scent for those who enjoy musk and myrrh and sandalwood. But not what I was hoping for.

The wax and smoke of millions upon millions of candles illuminating the walls of Death’s shadowy cave: some tall, straight, and strong, blazing with the fire of life, others dim and guttering. Origin: Straight from the Lab Initial Thoughts: Just hoping for that elusive "candle smoke" scent. In the Vial: Sweet and light, with an impression of vanilla and maybe honey. Wet: Light, sweet candlewax with that honey-ish undertone. I get flashes of the impression of a lit candle and smoke, but they're very faint and subtle if they're there at all. Drydown: A bit muskier, and finally a bit smokier. It's a lovely, quietly sweet scent, perfect for someone who wants to know they're wearing perfume, but shouldn't because of a persnickety co-worker or some such. Verdict: Definitely keeping the imp and we'll see how fast it goes.

Origin: Straight from the Lab Initial Thoughts: I tend to try all the Spanish/Hispanic-inspired scents, whether I think they'll work on me or not. And I do love cinnamon. In the Vial: Rich and redolent cinnamon, with streaks of greenery that make it almost a Christmasy blend. Something, maybe the orchid or maybe the quality of the green, is just barely keeping it from crossing that line. Wet: Cinnamon and more cinnamon. The Christmas impression has softened as the greenery takes on a more airy quality. Drydown: The scent grows more dusky and tropical as the orchid comes into play. It's still cinnamon, but much more a cinnamon of nature than a cinnamon produced as a spice. Verdict: I think I like this!

Origin: Straight from the Lab Initial Thoughts: Rose blends are hit-or-miss with me. Sometimes they're gorgeous and sometimes something in the green-stem effect goes haywire and it stinks on me. In the Bottle: Interesting. This reminds me of a department store perfume without the alcohol harshness. It's cool and haunting; the musk and spices are dominant with just a hint of rose. Wet: Chilly spice and musk, and I think I can detect the rose trying to go skanky on me. Definitely a scent to evoke the chill and danger of All Hallows Eve. Drydown: Dammit, the rose has gone sour. Verdict: I rolled the dice and lost. This will go to someone whose skin can treat it properly.

Origin: Straight from the Lab Initial Thoughts: I usually avoid ambers as they amp on me, but since I can usually wear white/light musks, I wondered if the same would hold for amber. And I'm a sucker for star jasmine. In the Bottle: Bright, white, ethereal, cold moonlit florals. They do combine to give an impression of vanilla for me, though I know there's none in the mix. Wet: Hello, amber! Are you going to behave for me? There's a lovely undertone of jasmine that I'd like to have a fighting chance. Drydown: Amber and musk with just that hint of florals. Still light and feminine, but no longer a cool scent on my skin. Verdict: I'll try it once or twice more to be sure, but I don't think my skin does this one justice.

Origin: Straight from the Lab Initial Thoughts: I'm not all that into fruity scents, so my first thought upon reading the name "Peach Moon" was "oh well". Then I read the description of peach blossom and of other florals I like. I bit. In the Bottle: Light and airy peach, woods, and gentle cool florals that give it the night-time quality required of a Lunacy. Wet: The peach impression is there, but it's definitely not a fruity peach. It's the blossom and more woods and tea at this stage. I'm not getting a strong jasmine impression, which I know is a Note of Doom for many people. Drydown: The florals perk up and take the edge off the herby woods. It's a little sweeter but still a very cool scent. Verdict: I think I like this a lot!

Origin: Frimp from the Lab Initial Thoughts: I think I avoided this one when I first made my Giant List of BPAL to Try because I'd had bad experiences with musk. Now I know that "crystalline" musk might be one I can wear without it amping on me. In the Vial: Bright, glassy, cool florals. Definitely a scent that evokes the night. Wet: The jasmine is strong, but not overwhelming among the other florals. The musk is an undertone at this point. Drydown: The florals recede and the musk comes out, but they stay nicely balanced. The Oriental spices are a dusting in the background. It strikes me as a cool, sophisticated scent. Verdict: Keeping the imp and we'll see if there's a bottle in the future.

Origin: Freebie from a recent Lab order Initial Thoughts: I'd pretty much ignored this one because as a rule I don't enjoy overly foody scents. But with the imp in hand, I opened and sniffed and my nose perked up, asking, "So, what's this?" In the Vial: Buttery fruit pastry with mild and comforting spices in the background. Wet: A cinnamon bun, complete with icing and a dollop of fresh butter. Drydown: The butter has backed off, leaving a cinnamon toast scent in its wake. Sugary-sweet bread. Verdict: I think I'll hang onto this imp.

Origin: Sample in my latest Trading Post purchase. Initial Thoughts: I'm not one for using room sprays; I'd rather toss a tart into a burner than go around spraying. But if I were to get a room spray, this would probably be the one. In the Bottle: Hard to tell with the unopenable Squirt, but I get florals from the nozzle. Sprayed: A great whacking blast of floral, with linen underneath to give a dusty impression and just a trace of tea. It most definitely smells like a Victorian parlor. Verdict: Hmm. I may have to think up ways to use a room spray now.

Origin: Straight from the Lab's eBay auction Initial Thoughts: I considered trying for this one at last year's Inquisition, but I didn't have quite enough money to risk it and it was the only one I was interested in. I love Mistletoe with a passion, so I have hopes for this one. In the Bottle: Heavenly Christmas tree with warm spices and a fruity tinge underneath. Wet: Cinnamon spice and pine/fir notes. It's a gorgeous balance of Christmas-y scents and makes me wish it was December already. Drydown: The cinnamon and spice take over a little, but don't overpower the greenery. Now I've got ideas of layering it with the full Mistletoe to see what happens. Verdict: This is beautiful and I am so happy I got it!

Origin: Straight from the Trading Post Initial Thoughts: The name made me think I was in for leather, which is not a favorite scent of mine. Sprayed: Yep, definitely leather, although it's a gentle scent. There's sandalwood and desert grasses and things that are lightening it. It's a warm, welcoming scent and not at all overpowering. Verdict: Leather fans will be overjoyed, I think.

Origin: Straight from the Trading Post Initial Thoughts: I'm not so big on the green tea, but this was a freebie. Sprayed: Crisp and freshly spring, but the tea or sake is giving it a harsh edge. I get very little of the cherry blossom. Verdict: A little too astringent for me.

Origin: Straight from the Trading Post Initial Thoughts: I'm not exactly a jellybean person or a foody scent person, but if they want to give me a free imp, I'm not going to argue! In the Vial: Anise and sugar. The sugar tames the worst of the licorice scent. Wet: Still sugar-drenched licorice. At the moment it's a very pleasant, playful fragrance. Drydown: The anise gets a little stronger and the sugar-sweet fades a bit. It's also staying very close to the skin. Verdict: Hm. It's not bad, but probably others will love this much more than me.

Snow-laden pine boughs, sleet, white sandalwood, cedar, winter orchid, and honeysuckle. Text on Bottle: Caminar Sopra il giaccio, e à passo lento Per timor di cader gersene intenti; Gir forte Sdruzziolar, cader à terra Di nuove ir Sopra 'l giaccio e correr forte Sin ch' il giaccio si rompe, e si disserra; Sentir uscir dalle ferrate porte Sirocco Borea, e tutti i Venti in guerra Quest' é 'l verno, mà tal, che gioia apporte. Translation via Wikipedia: We tread the icy path slowly and cautiously, for fear of tripping and falling. Then turn abruptly, slip, crash on the ground and, rising, hasten on across the ice lest it cracks up. We feel the chill north winds course through the home despite the locked and bolted doors... this is winter, which nonetheless brings its own delights. Origin: Straight from the Lab Initial Thoughts: I've used a few room/linen sprays before, but they were always focused on one note, like lavender. The notes in this sounded lovely. In the Bottle: My first impression is something chemical, like perhaps I'm smelling the base of the spray. But after a few sniffs, I get scent. It's quite chilly, the chilliest of the three L'Inverno products. I get a lot of sleet and snow notes and the woods, with the honeysuckle dipping a toe into the mix. Sprayed onto Cloth: Almost no morph, which makes sense, I suppose. A very snowy, wintry scent with a strong woodsy facet and a few tinges of floral. Verdict: I think I will enjoy using this.