Verios

In the bottle, this is straight up banana: I think someone else summed it up almost perfectly for me when they described it as over-ripe banana (although for me it's just on that border between really ripe and over-ripe, like when I'd usually freeze it to save to make banana bread with later), although you can catch a hint of the other notes in the background...but it really is just the barest hint. Once it goes on my skin though, the banana promptly disappears, leaving behind this amazingly smooth combination of the tobacco (which is one of my favorite notes), with hints of the cocoa and what I think is the vetiver...on me it's not an overpowering scent; it sits close to the skin and is just lovely and subtle and makes me so glad I gave this a try.

This scent is addictive (I actually immediately ordered a backup bottle after my first day trying it out!) I mostly get a buttery, nutty chestnut when it first goes on, backed up by what I think is the mahogany, and then the vanilla and tobacco to round it out. After initial application, some of the nuttiness fades, although it stays right near the forefront. I don't detect any black coconut, at least that I can pick out. (Edited to try to add a little more detail, although I am terrible at describing scents ) This is the kind of smell that has me periodically huffing at my hair to try to catch a whiff of it.

tea notes have yet to work on me--either I can't pick up on them at all, or they seem to go weirdly licorice-y...and not in a pleasant way. It makes me particularly sad, since I love drinking tea, and the smell of it is one I really, really love. as for coconut commentary...my favorite coconut blend has to be Tiki Princess, of the ones I've tried...not that I've tried all THAT many, but I just love the way the coconut comes out in that blend.

I am so, so glad I hung onto the imp of this that I swapped for some time ago--at the time I wasn't overly impressed with it, finding it struck me as almost a bit sharp...but after having left it tucked away in the imp box for close to a year, now, I decided to give it another try...and it's exquisite. I definitely get the soft sugary vanilla that I love about black lace, but without any sort of boozy note, and just a hint of red berry that, thus far lingers in the background, rounding out the scent. I think I might be picking up on just a bit of the red musk in the background, as well, but my nose isn't good enough for me to be certain. All I know is that I'm glad I hung onto this--it's gorgeous enough that I recently decided to try getting ahold of a bottle, as I think I'll be finding this to be pretty wearable, overall--it's not a hugely in-your-face scent, even just after application, so I can see myself enjoying it even for something like work. (with that said, I'll update later if this morphs/fades really fast on my skin; I haven't had it on all that long, at this point).

This was exactly what I was hoping it would be, when I swapped for this from a very kind forumite! It smells just like a freshly peeled clementine--it even manages to catch the amazingly real smell of the peel being right there and present as well--I'm really hoping my skin doesn't eat this scent (I just put it on to try, because I couldn't wait after practically swooning when I first opened the bottle--I'm going to enjoy layering this with some of my other scents, to see how nicely it pairs! EDIT: and alas, it fades in like...an hour. But it was so, SO amazing while it lasted. <3

I get a lot of red musk (which is awesome, as that's a winning note on me!), but it's so much deeper than that...I get hints of the amber, as well, but I can't even pull out a lot of the notes (sorry, I'm not as good at that as I wish I was, lol), but this scent is amazing--I definitely see the similarities mentioned to Panther Moon, or The Infernal Lover on the musks..it's that kind of sexy (but also soft, and sweetened by the other notes) musk. I can't seem to stop sniffing at my wrist, it's just that lovely. It's got a floral tone to it, as well, which initially had me worried--however, these ones are nicely grounded, and not at all overpowering! Sooo glad a very kind forumite swapped me a bottle of this, as it was one of those blends that sounded like it could be amazing, but I didn't think I really had a shot at ever getting to try (plus, a number of these notes are ones I'd never tried before, so I wasn't sure how well they'd play with the notes I DO know and love)--to find it's as amazing as I could have hoped, and to actually have managed to snag a bottle makes me very, very happy! So far, it also has a fair bit of throw--not so much that I'm worried about offending anyone with the strength of my perfume, but enough that I catch lovely whiffs of it as I move about (I've only had it on for a couple of hours, however, so while I'm hopeful, a lot of scents fade fairly quickly on me!) This was a total winner, on me!

This one was disappointing on me--I was hoping for something magical, that reminded me of the time I spent in Thailand while in college...but alas, while this was okay, it was mostly floral on me, and not in a tropical, heady lush way--it's slightly soapy, and I got none of the other awesome notes I'd been hoping would be the more dominant...so while I may keep the partial imp that a forumite very kindly frimped, in hopes that with age some of the other notes will come out to play more, this wasn't what I was hoping it would be (at least on my skin).

I really like Selkie during the summer months--I'm not usually too keen on aquatics, and this one feels very aquatic on me...but I loooove me some Selkie.

This one surprised me (I expected to like, but not as much as I ended up doing)! On initial application, it reminded me fairly strongly of a slightly less aggressive Count Dracula (which I love too, so this wasn't a bad thing!)...much more clove than I expected. However, it mellowed quickly, with a really sweet, cigar/tobacco shop tobacco note balancing out the clove nicely. I can easily see myself reaching for this often, when I'm wanting to feel confident and outgoing--but not quite aggressive enough for my Count Dracula (a bit more of an everyday scent, at least on me). I think I may need to hoard a few more bottles of this. EDIT: backreading, the clove cigarette description others have mentioned is spot on (there's a bit more sweetness/something vaguely vanilla in this, but that just makes it even better)! (and explains part of my love of this scent--I remember trying clove cigarettes when I was studying in Thailand in college, and they were AMAZING. The smell brings back memories of a fantastic experience for me.)

This wasn't a snake oil blend that I originally thought sounded all that appealing to me...however, it's a gorgeous cherry amaretto snake oil on me--really glad I got a chance to try it (and I'm thinking this may be a bottle buy for me, at some point!)

This was initially all sweet honey on me, but shortly after, almond shows up, with a bit of rum in the background. This is really nice for those days where I'm wanting something sweet and decadent smelling. I'm surprised I like this as much as I do (although I've had a few foodier blends surprise me in such a way, lately), because I never used to like smelling foodie--I enjoyed sniffing it, or smelling it on someone else, but didn't care for the idea of wearing such scents myself. That said, while this isn't likely to be a bottle purchase for me, I'll likely be using the rest of my imp!

I wasn't sure I liked this when I first put it on-a lot of the notes are ones I usually love, but for some reason it was sharp and uninviting in the imp and when I first applied it. However, because I know that most of these notes are usually ones that work well on me/I love, I figured I'd give it a try, wait it out and see (and truthfully, lately I've had a number of new scents smell way different/not as good as I'd hoped in the bottle, but when I've applied and waited a few minutes, they've settled down nicely) On drydown, the rose is present, the leather's not harsh or in-your-face, but definitely is there...mostly I think I get the rose, musk, and a faintly, sweetly spicy sort've thing (it's a spicy rose on my skin with musk and leather peeking through to keep it interestng). Very much a dark scent, and one that makes me feel confident and ready for anything--but it's not overpowering, or too heavy. If anything, I was expecting this to be more...outspoken than it turned out to be. It's lovely, though!

Surprisingly, I really don't get much vetiver in this--I do, however, get the most exquisitely spiced orange (and with some impressive throw!)--the licorice was present in the imp, but seems to have disappeared when it hits me (which is fine, since licorice was the iffiest note in the description, for me)...the teak seems to fade in and out. I really, really like this. Thinking this may be a must-hunt-down-a-bottle for me.

This was one of those scents that, when I read the description and reviews, I was positive I was going to love--and when a very kind forumite included a partial frimp of it with a recent swap, I was ecstatic at the chance to try it out! However, on initial application, I was afraid this was going to be a disappointment--it was almost sharp, and not at all the amazing blend on me I'd been hoping for...however, it quickly reined in, and now that it has, it's just...phenomenal. The red musk, vanilla and plum & pomegranate (not sure which red fruit I'm picking up more--but there's a distinctly red fruity note hitting my nose) are the most prominent notes, although I suspect the patchouli leaf might be helping to ground the scent. Really glad to have gotten a chance to try this (and I'm thinking it's definitely one of those bottles I'm going to have to hunt down-I can easily see myself wearing this for a night out

In the bottle, I got mostly apples...and apple-scents usually do almost nothing on my skin (apple-based scents usually disappear within the hour, unfortunately) Once this hits my skin, though, this is exactly what I find I was hoping for--this is hay and oats and musk, with the molasses sweetening it up just enough...I get no apple at all, which doesn't surprise me, unless it's so subtle that it's just adding a certain something to the scent overall. This is exactly what fond memories of a stable smell like--as another reviewer also mentioned, it's the stable without the more unpleasant smells a real stable usually has--it's idyllic, and makes me feel really nostalgic remembering the summer I worked at a stable (I loved that job, since I was absolutely horse-crazy at the time...) I'm not sure this will be one I'd wear, but I'm amazed at Beth's ability to make a perfume that smells like this!

right now, all I'm getting is whoapine...I was hoping for way more presence from the other notes. However, as it wears, if it changes I'll update this post...but if my skin keeps this straight pine, it's going to be off to swaps, i'm afraid. It's a nice pine scent (not like a piney air freshener or anything) but not my thing.

This one really surprised me! In the bottle, it was really sweet and foody, but the moment it hits my skin, I get earthy moss, with only the faintest hint of anything else. However, within a couple of moments, the currant, backed by the molasses and vanilla, seems to come more to the forefront--the morphing is really surprising! The moss/earthiness is still definitely there, but it's no longer all I can smell when I huff at my wrists. I'll update this again if it continues to morph, but as-is I'm on the fence--this is a really neat scent, and now that it's not just moss on my skin, it's really quite nice--I just can't seem to decide if it's one I'll be reaching for all that often.

I am so, so glad that I was fortunate enough to swap for a partial bottle of this! I had some doubts as to how much I'd like this after sniffing the bottle, since it smelled very...subtle, almost to the point where I was afraid it would disappear completely on application. However, not to fear! While it's not a scent with a ton of throw, so far so good, as it's not one that vanishes right away, either. It sounded gorgeous, but even I couldn't have predicted just how gorgeous this would smell. This isn't an overtly sexual scent, but at the same time it's so sexy. The musk is soft and sits close to the skin, tempting me to huff discreetly (or probably not-so-much) at my own wrists, and melds into what smells like a clear night in the forest. This is one of those rare ones where everything is present, but nothing is overwhelming, and the overall result is that it's even better than I thought it would be. Instant favorite.

This, for me, is about as perfect as a pumpkin scent can get. The pumpkin is buttery and rich without being too foody or heavy, and the orange peel and amber are both present and intermingle with it gorgeously. This was as amazing as I was afraid it would be (curse you, self, for falling utterly in love with a relatively HTF scent!) Definitely one I'm on the lookout for a backout bottle of. Throw is pretty decent, and it lasts a fair bit, as well. One of my top 5 BPAL loves of all time.

This is a scent that I (very fortunately) got in a swap a few weeks ago--I'd been wanting to try it as it sounded really amazing, but had begun to think I wasn't going to manage to snag some anytime soon. It was well worth the wait. (I'd put off trying it for this long after receiving it because I was afraid it was going to be straight florals after smelling the bottle--I like some floral, but not usually a ton...) However, this really is the golden, warm, amazing scent that I was hoping it would be. The floral is there as well, but there's a gorgeous, creamy golden vibe to it. I'm so glad I got a bottle of this! I keep sniffing at my own wrist, so if there's any one flaw I see with this, it's that the throw isn't huge on it--I want to wrap myself in this scent like a blanket and roll around in it! EDIT: I also do get some of the similarity mentioned by a previous reviewer to the Harp of Cnoc--both really make me think of hot, lazy summer days.

Now that it's summer, I found myself reaching for this bottle this morning--unlike pirate moon, which, while nice, I didn't find really made me think of pirates when I wore it, Frederic does. For me this is primarily dark woods, although something (I assume the musk, or the patch) prevents them from being too much--I also get a hint of saltiness/seaspray, and the bay rum...it continues to amaze me, how much this makes me think of a gentleman pirate. I think I get whiffs of the tea rose, at times, but it's subtle--at most they're just helping to round this scent out. This definitely tends towards the masculine, but not to an extent where I don't find it perfectly wearable. It's not overly boozy, either, so it's one I have no issue wearing to work...love it! (I may have to try to get ahold of a backup bottle...)

this is a lovely, simple scent--I'm pretty sure I'm only really getting the heather, because while it's sweet and gorgeous, I don't really get any blackberry from it--the sweetness that goes with the heather is almost honey-like, to me. There's a really pure feeling to it, and while it's definitely not my usual sort've scent, I find I keep sneaking sniffs of it on my wrist. This is one of those that I'll have to debate as to whether I want a whole bottle of, only because I rarely go for really typically girly scents--however, for the days that I want to smell downright pretty, this imp will definitely be one that I reach for.

On me, I get none of the smoke/ash/burning upon initial application...all my nose is getting is pine and something vaguely...lemony. There's something preventing either from being too sharp, but I can't pick out what it is--however, within 10 minutes, it dries down to a strong smoke with a hint of pine--I totally get the impression of a pine tree burning from this, although it's a bit more complex than just that! Not sure this'll be a bottle-worthy scent, however I love how evocative this is...and I'll definitely be using my imp

I just got a bottle of this via a swap, and was really excited to try this blend out! I was expecting whoa!leather from this..however, i mostly get the metallic scent another reviewer mentioned (clean is a very apt word for it, as well)...it's got a hint of the smokey leatheryness that seems so prominent for everyone else, but it's definitely not all that strong, on me. It does, however, have nice throw, and lasts quite awhile on my skin! I like it, but I think I'll let it have some aging, and perhaps another test or two before I decide if this one's a bottle I'll reach for often or not (and thus, whether I'll keep it or swap it off).

does anyone have recommendations for BPAL that smells like Lush's Black Pearl? I had some of the cobweb bath bombs that were released with that scent a couple years back, and completely fell in love with it-so if I could find a bpal that smelled just like it, I'd be a very happy camper, lol.