whisperstilled

In imp: Wasabi! Wow, definitely recognizable, it's even got that ginger-like tingle. Wasabi, balsam, and some other spices and woods I can't put my finger on. Wet: Spicy and green and distinctly herbal! The wasabi has died back but the balsam is still staying strong. Dry: Smells like an herb store, like a cooking store that sells dried herbs and spices, all in wood barrels. Interesting, but not for me. 2/5

In Imp: Strangely incensey and dark. I can't out my finger on what it is, but there's something a little aquatic about it as well. Wet: That is a nice, unique scent. It's subtle and absolutely lives up to its name. It smells like hard rocks and pitch blackness, like not being able to see. There's definitely some anise in this somewhere far behind everything else. It is a scent with depth, that seems to stretch on and on into infinity. Dry: The scent of the bottomless pit. My only complaint is how close it sits to the skin. A beautiful, well-blended concept piece that is totally wearable. 4/5

When I saw the description I knew I had to try this one. It's just too good. In imp: Cologney and green. There is definitely something bizarrely...lettucey about it, even though lettuce doesn't have much of a scent. Wet: Still watery and green, but it's a clean scent that doesn't really remind me of lettuce now, or vegetables. Pretty nondescript, though. A ha! Grass! That's what it smells like. Straight grass, pretty much, fresh cut. Dry: Fading fast, but still clean and inoffensive enough. 2/5

In imp: Chocolate and apple! Not much else as far as I can tell. Wet: Now I'm getting some of the other notes. Not much wood, maybe a tiny touch of tonka, floral, and incense. Still heavily cocoa and apple, with a little of that plastic weirdness that is white chocolate. Dry: Still chocolate apples. Not a bad scent, but nothing that blows my mind. 2/5

In imp: How odd - the vinegary creaminess of cheesecake frosting, the fluffy deliciousness of red velvet cake, and something in the background that has to be the three mentioned perfumes. Wet: Oh this is just delicious. Cream cheese and cake, but with depth! There is something piney in the background that has to be Doc Constantine. Dry: Now the pine comes out strong over the cream cheese, with a little snake oil to back it up. The confection has become a background sweetness that blends incredibly with everything else. Hoo boy, mama, is this a keeper!

In imp: Mmm, strawberry candy with a mimosa kick. Candy sweet, very nice! Wet: The mimosa really does lend something to this strawberry, which definitely isn't a fakey, plastic strawberry, but isn't a juicy fresh strawberry like in Strawberry Moon 09. This is a strawberry hard candy, all the way. Dry: Sweeter than sweet, fruity, girly, and fun. This has to be my new favorite strawberry blend, but I might swap it on just because I don't know when I'd actually wear it. A totally adorable blend, even if Loli.Goth has me covered as far as strawberry scents go. 4/5

In Imp: Anise! Smells like a squished black licorice jellybean, exactly, even with the little gooey sugar crystals inside. Wet: Stays true on the skin. This is a pretty straight up, uncomplicated blend. Black jellybean ahoy! Not offensive, but nor my favorite. I'm not a huge fan of black jellybeans, even though I like the anise sharpness. Dry: No morphing that I can find. The anise tickles my nose a little. Nice enough, but not for me. 2/5

08 Version In imp: Definitely incense, but surprisingly faint. I was expecting something with a little more punch, considering it's supposed to be the scent of incense burning. Wet: Incensey, but again, pretty faint. Maybe my nose is broken? I get a little smoke and what might be myrrh, but not much else. Dry: I get some wood with the incense now, and almost no smoke. Shockingly wispy for a robust religious incense. 2/5

In Imp: Eggnog as advertised and predicted! Definitely coffee in there somewhere along with the sweet creaminess. Wet: The coffee goes strangely bitter. I was hoping the eggnog would temper it more, but with the liqeur aspect it's just a touch too strong. Dry: Too much bitterness on the coffee, not enough lait! I must amp the coffee. What a pity, I had high hopes. 2/5

In imp: Mmm, that's what I'm talking about. A deeper, more complex, manlier version of Embalming Fluid. I can wholeheartedly say I like this better so far. Wet: That lemon tea-ness of embalming fluid is strong on my skin, as well as a backing cologne that is really very nice. Dry: Sexy, sweet, tart, and masculine, this one goes into my imp box right next to Embalming Fluid. I won't seek more out, but I'll be happy with my imp. 3/5

In imp: To disclaim, I'm not a huge fan of white chocolate, but there it is, along with violets. I'm smelling violets all over right now, after spilling an imp of Brusque Violet earlier, and this is that same candied violet. Wet: Cocoa more than white chocolate. Less violet as well. Dry: As it dries I get mostly cocoa with no whiteness to the chocolate and no sugared violets. Very odd. Not offensive, it's a nice enough chocolate, but nothing super special. 3/5

In imp: Wow, very odd. buttered toast, caramel, and something that could very well be the turkey! Wet: A tiny bit of pineapple is peeking out now, but that weird buttered toast note is still there. Hmm, not as appetizing as I might have hoped. Dry: More cherry and less butter, but the combination of foods is still just a little too odd for my nose. 3/5.

In imp: Cocoa, coconut, and something almost boozy. Wet: Oh my, that is delicious. Chocolate coconut heaven! The cassis lends a little heat and spiciness, and from the way my skin is tingling this is not a scent I could wear on my inner elbow or behind my ears, but it definitely gives it a little punch. Dry: As it dries the cassia becomes peculiarly dry and powdery, like the cake really is dusted all over with it. I don't get much angel foodcake, just a touch. Unfortunately the cocoa and coconut fade as this dries down, keeping it from a perfect ten score, but then, a ha, is the angel food cake to compensate. Beaurtiful foodie scent, absolutely wonderful! I just wish the coconut had stayed out to play longer. 5/5

I got my hands on a tiny, tiny testable amount of this from a good friend of mine who gets brownie points forever and ever. In imp: So faint I can barely smell anything. Musky vanilla, so far. Wet: This is reminding me a great deal of snake oil. It has that same spicy, musky vanilla quality, with just a brush of red musk. Drying: I finally get the cocoa everyone mentions, mingling with everything else. What we have here is a death-defyer of a perfect scent, sweet snake oil vanilla goodness with some musk and a sweetness that absolutely cannot be beat. Unsurprisingly, Storyville is just as good as everyone says, and even though one test on one wrist is likely all I'll ever see of it, I'm so glad I got the opportunity to try it, it was well worth the test for the experience! 5/5

In imp: Bright and white, with florals beneath, this is definitely snowy. I haven't tried many of the Yule snow scents, so I find the 'snow' note intriguing. Cold and bright. Wet: The snow fades back and I get more narcissus, sweet, pale, and subtle. Dry: Delicate, and without the oomph I look for in my BPAL, but nice enough even if it's not my thing. Into the swaps, I'm afraid, 2/5

In imp: Fresh clean and sweet! The aloe is strong along with the lemon, and the white musk adds a sort of echoing lightness to the blend. The green tea is there, but subtle. Wet: Strong lemon, overpowering everything else. Dry: Still mostly lemon with some white musk. The aloe and green tea have dropped back. Still, even though I like the more full bodied version in the imp, this is a really nice, light, crisp scent. Definitely a keeper.

Happy fifth birthday to the bpal.org forum! To commemorate five years of camaraderie, love, and unbelievable kindness, we present a scent comprised of notes that encapsulate the essence of friendship: carnation, apple, sweet pea, vanilla cream, passionfruit, sugar cane, tonka, and guava. In Imp: Apple, mostly, with a breath of florals. Wet: There's the sweet pea, along with the absurdly strong fresh green apple note. This one is not sitting too well with my chemistry - a little too much apple. Dry: Finally getting a little vanilla, but the apple is still so strong it's giving me a headache. Nice enough for people who are huge fans of apple, but not for me. The guava and passionfruit finally kick in toward the end, and the vanilla lends enough creaminess to do much to save the blend, however.

I always want to like the pirate scents, but so far I have had no luck (I AM LOOKING AT YOU, THE PHOENIX!) I have higher hopes for Mary Read. In Imp: Oh dear, oddly sour aquatic, with a sort of sweaty, musky note. I get a touch of gunpowder and a whiff of leather, but not in the amounts I was looking for. Wet: WOW sarsaparilla! Where the hell did that come from!? Sarsaparilla and leather and salty spray, EXACTLY what I wanted. Oh man that is good. I am massively impressed. Dry: Oh this is the pirate scent that dreams are made of. Leather, a touch of gunsmoke, a sarsaparilla open at the pirate's side with some rum dumped in for interest, beading condensation in the tropical sun, and the salty ocean breeze ruffling through her hair. I want to go write a pirate story all of a sudden. I'm so glad I took a chance on this one and didn't let my previous experience with pirate themed scents dissuade me. The perfect badass lady pirate, 5/5!

In imp: Blueberry! Juicy blueberry with sweet fluffy muffin. Blueberry muffin! When people told me this one smelled like a blueberry muffin I didn't believe them, but it absolutely does - that candied blueberry smell, that impossible fluffiness of a muffin, the muffin of dreams! It reminds me just in theory of the way Diary of a Lovestruck Teenage Cannibal has a ton of notes that sound nothing like the sweet pepper birthday cake smell you get from it all combined. Somehow, with their powers combined, these notes make blueberry muffin! Wet: Now it's a little sharper and a little less candied, a little more layered. Vanilla is there for sure, and I actually do get a tiny, tiny bit of squash blossom. The green tea, if it's there at all, blends with the florals. I get a little of it when I breath out through my nose after sniffing. Dry: Sweetening even more as it dries. The blueberry is finally relaxing and being less manic, and I can now tell there is some currant underneath. What a sweet, summery, juicy confection! Total keeper, 4/5

In imp: Sweet, astringent floral. I can smell the cherry blossoms, which are a favorite floral of mine, mingled with the wisteria and a softer note that must be the ume blossoms. Wet: The cherry blossoms continue to lend a sharp/sweet quality that's really nice, but this one is fading fast on my skin. Dry: Unfortunately the cherry fades back on the drydown - a pity, too, I was really enjoying that. The throw is more of a fruity cherry, but up close all I get is wisteria and the ume. Nice, but a little too quiet and subtle for me. 3/5

Imp: Salty perfume, now that is uncanny. A sweet little girl's perfume drenched in tears, absolutely as described. Wet: The perfume comes out on my skin, with the salt as a backdrop that I can't seem to decide whether or not I like. Dry: I have decided I do like! The salt gives the otherwise delicate perfume a little extra oomph and makes it more complex than your average floral. Really quite pleasant on the drydown. Nothing I will be jumping up and down over and wearing every day, but definitely a keeper. The salty aqautic aspect comes out a little more as it dries, but the florals tend to win out and keeping it from being a straight aquatic, thankfully. 3/5

Rotting linen? Doesn't sound too inviting, so I'm a little dubious. Let's see how this goes! In Imp: Linen, sandalwood, and dust that I recognize from Parliament of Monsters. No rot so far, which is an excellent sign! Wet: Very faint, almost nutty from the sandalwood. I don't know hyssop as a note to pick it out, but it's got a powdery linen quality, like clean linens folded in an attic. Something faintly floral, as well, like a scented soap used to clean the linen. Clean, very nice. Wow, the linen note is so distinct. I can smell the cotton fibers going up my nose, it's really evocative. Dry: Clean linen smell! Sweet, a touch dusty, no rot to be found. I'm totally surprised by how good this is! 3/5

I recently had a chance to try In Relig Oran and loved the heather in that, so I'm looking forward to trying this! In Imp: Oddly sweet green, almost medicinal, but there's that heather underneath. Wet: Green and very nice. That sweetness must have been the blackberry, now that I've checked the notes, but I only get a little of it on my skin. Mostly it's rich heather. The rose quality of the heather makes for an interesting floral twist to what I expected to be more of a straight green scent, and I amp the rosiness on my skin. Still soft and sweet, however. Dry: Pretty straight up even on the drydown. Sweet heather with a garnish of blackberry that sticks pretty close to the skin, not a lot of throw. A very pleasant scent, however, one I plan on keeping.

In imp: Surprisingly cologney! Wet: There's the leather, but spiced, not sweet the way I'm used to. Rosewood, I think, with tonka to leaven it. Dry: I do get a hint of parchment as it dries, which serves as a fantastic backdrop, though the leather also drops off a touch. This is a complicated scent, reminiscent of musty old books in a library. It does go a touch powdery on the drydown, which is a strike against it, but still, very interesting.

I don't even need to go all the way through testing with this one. Slightly green vetiver land, with a touch of smoke, but mostly vetiver, which is one of my death die die notes.