tailoredshirt

On me, this is mostly a honey-rose blend, and it doesn't change much between the wet stage and the dry down. I don't really get a strong cream note, but the honey is very strong. The rose is definitely there too, and together they are very strong and sweet. Too sweet for me, really. I like roses, and I like honey, but they don't always work for me, and together they are just too strong. Not offensive, just not really for me.

This one is interesting. Wet, this smells a lot like a men's cologne, I think because of the ozone and musk. I can smell the currant, but it mostly just adds a sweet edge to the blend. I like this a lot more than I thought I would, actually. I don't think this is a bottle purchase, but I can see myself wanting to wear this again when I'm in the mood.

I got grapes and some earthy smokiness. I have found, with this blend and The Forest Reverie, that I just really don't like the grape/smoke combination. So it didn't really work for me.

I think this ranks up there with one of the worst scent experiences I've ever had! It started off strangely fruity and chemical. I can only imagine that the fruit smell came from one of the flowers, because this has happened to me before. But under that sickly-sweet fruity smell, I got something strange and chemical-earthy. I couldn't identify it until it suddenly hit me: NEW CAR SMELL. With a fruit-scented air freshener. >.< Then the new car smell started smelling like a new car that has been newly cleaned with heavy-duty chemical cleaners. Like shampooed rug. I...I am at a loss as to what on earth could have caused this reaction, since I'm a big fan of leather blends. I guess it's the vetiver. Oh, well. :/

The notes sounded like they might be interesting, but this didn't really do anything unique on me. It started off heavy with the lilies, and I got the crushed leaves and some woods. At first I was thinking that it's actually a very pretty blend, but then it started smelling like laundry detergent. *sigh* Oh, well. Can't win them all.

This is not quite what I was expecting. I am often disappointed with leather blends because I love leather, but I hardly ever get the amount of leather I'm looking for. I suspect this is more to do with my chemistry and preferences than anything else, so it's not a knock on BPAL's leather blends! Anyway, this is mostly fruit and lilac on me. The plum juice smells a bit like pears on me, but I think I'm just really bad at picking out different fruits, since I don't really like fruity scents. I don't get any leather at all. Overall, this is pretty, but nothing really remarkable on me.

I really wasn't expecting to love this, but I kind of do! In the imp, it smelled almost like root beer, and I still get a bit of a sweet sassafras note when I put it on. I'm wondering if that is the mimosa? I have no idea what that smells like. It might also be the vanilla and clove working together. I get strong flowers in the mix, and the result is a very sweet, floral perfume-y blend. The Grindhouse is, to me, a perfect match to its description. I can see the woman in the picture slathering this on between her breasts before she goes out for the night. It is sweet, sultry floral perfume. It smells like sex and flowers and something a bit too sweet, but together it just works for me. I think this is definitely a full-stop seduction perfume, when there's no time for subtlety. I can tell that there will be times that this will be way too much for me and I won't want to touch it with a ten foot pole, but there will also be times when I have to wear it. So I think I'll be ordering a bottle with my next order!

This is strange. Very sweet in the vial and on my skin. It smells more fruity than aquatic to my nose, but it's got a clean floral edge. I don't know what hyacinth smells like, but I'm thinking they must smell something like lilies because I'm definitely getting that clean lily smell with the fruit. The thing is, that smell combination sort of makes me nauseous sometimes. :/ I guess because it's so sweet and smells more like a candle or room spray, and not something I'd want to smell like. I get a bit of fir as it dries, but it's kind of too late since I'm already slightly nauseous. Oh, well, can't win them all.

Coyote is a lovely scent. The first time I applied it, I got that "YES YES MULTIPLE BOTTLES MUST HOARD" feeling. Now that I've tested it twice, I'm not sure I need several bottles, but it is a nice scent. Wet, it is definitely musky amber. It's also very strong. I really only need a little bit of this to smell it, and trust me, I tend to be a slatherer. The amber is very heady, thick, golden, and almost buttery, I think because of the musk. It really is a great, wearable musk, although I have to admit that if I sniff it too deeply, I get the image of deer having wild sex in the middle of a sun-drenched field. So, uh, I just don't sniff that deeply anymore! After a while, I get a sweet grassy scent at the heart of the scent, but that's only when I get close. The throw, which is very strong, is definitely the amber musk. I don't get much leather at all, except maybe an impression of it mixed in somewhere, grounding the scent. As a side note, this is great paired with The Black Rider, if you want to temper the musk with some more leather.

[lab-fresh imp] I tried this a couple of weeks ago and was really disappointed because I got a sharp woodsy scent and not much else. It was also incredibly light. But I love leather and woods, and it sounded so perfect, so I put it in my "To Try Again Later" pile. I'm really glad I did! Wet, this is definitely woods and leather. It is pretty sharp, with almost a citrus edge to it? This might be the leather or the woods, but I don't know. After about ten minutes, it's almost dry and the sharpness has died down some. It's a really lovely blend - wood and a bit of leather, slightly sweet. I definitely get the "old parchment" scent from it. I think this would age really well, and maybe a bit of the sharpness would fade with time. I think I will pick up a bottle with my next order to test that theory.

This is a nice straight-up rose blend. I found it a bit sweet and a bit strong, but still nice. I think the only thing I didn't love about it is that it doesn't smell particularly fresh to my nose, and I couldn't put my finger on exactly why I didn't love it. Definitely not an offensive scent, just not for me. When I want to wear roses, I will continue reaching for Victoria or Hope.

Beeswax, dry leather, black pepper, saltpeter, nutmeg, Mysore sandalwood, and oak bark. Okay, the reviews for this were scaring me, but I'm relieved that this doesn't actually smell like a burning hand! It starts off with a lot of sweet, creamy beeswax and some spice, with a hint of sharpness from the leather underneath. But as it dries, the whole thing smooths out a bit, and the leather comes out nicely without being in your face. The beeswax is kind of a waxy vanilla on me, which I love. I also get a hint of salty musk, which lends to the skin scent the blend is aiming for. Overall, this is what I wanted Western Diamondback to be: vanilla-spice and leather. Delicious!

Oh wow, this is such a gorgeous vanilla. Rich, golden vanilla under a layer of salty ambergris. This doesn't morph on me much, except that the vanilla comes out a lot more as it dries. It's so pretty, I know I'll be hoarding it. Definitely recommended for fans of vanilla.

Hmm, this is my first Dragon's Blood blend. I'm not sure how I feel about it. Wet, it is sweeter than I thought it would be. Kind of a sticky sweet floral-resin, almost like...the closest I can come up with is jasmine syrup. I don't get much leather at all. Dry, the leather does come out more, but this is still super sweet jasmine layered over leather. I think I'm not a Dragon's Blood person after all.

[aged imp] This is a really strong, sultry scent. A lot of frankincense, with the other notes blended in so seamlessly that I almost can't pick them out. It's dry, smoky, thick, and slightly sweet. Not a scent I'm likely to wear to work because of the strong incense, but it would be a good scent for going out.

This was a nice scent. Definitely a floral honey, in a sharp herbal way rather than heady and syrupy. It had a nice throw and was surprisingly strong. I let my co-worker sniff, and it took her a minute to decide how she felt about it, but she liked it. She did comment that it was sharp and strong, though. I think honey just smells sharper than vanilla and amber, which I am more accustomed to wearing. I tried it on a few hours ago, and it is still there, but faint. Doesn't morph much as it dries. Anyway, it's a pretty scent, completely different from anything I've tried before. I will see how quickly I go through my decant before deciding whether or not to order a bottle.

Wet, this is definitely musk first, with a big cloud of incense in the background. Dry, something sweet and floral comes out - the amber and the violet leaf, although I could be getting some of the other florals as well. A bit of dry sandalwood. Overall, it's definitely a dry scent. This is nice, but it's not really doing much for me. I think I'll pass this on for someone else to try.

Wet, this is peach and...I don't know. Something dry and earthy. I have no idea what vetiver smells like, so it might be the vetiver. I think I could like it in an earthier blend, but mixed with the peach it smells really strange. Dry, this is a bit better. I'm starting to get some of the lily/orchid and a hint of coconut, but there's so much in here that I can't really tell what I'm smelling. That dry, earthy note is still here, and I honestly don't know if I like it or not. A bit later, I still get the earthiness, but less peach. It's just sort of sweet and slightly fruity/floral under that layer of vetiver(?). I keep going back and forth between thinking it smells sexy and thinking it smells stale. I might need to try this again, but otherwise I'll pass this on to someone else.

This is straight up mint tea with honey. It is pretty, but nothing earth-shattering. I think it will be nice for summer, when I want to wear something light and herbal. ETA: I think my skin was eating scents for a while there, because I retested this today and loved it a lot. It is still mint tea with honey, but it's sweeter, stronger, and more interesting this time. It is actually reminding me a lot of Bengal, which is strange since Bengal doesn't actually remind me of tea. I think the honey note must be the same.

This is definitely sugar and rose, straight up. I definitely like it, although I'm not sure if it's worth getting a bottle. That said, I might have to...I was testing Green Tree Viper at the same time, and the mint-rose-vanilla-sugar was a delicious combination.

[lab-fresh imp] I wasn't expecting to like this, but I really do! Wet, this is definitely vanilla white cake, but not too sweet. As someone else said, it's the cake without the sugary frosting on top, which suits me just fine since super sweet foodie things sometimes make me nauseous. I also get something slightly tart - the currants. Dry, the currants come out a lot more and give it a kick. They really help keep the cake from smelling too sweet and foodie. My skin tastes the cake and currants and turns them into something almost perfume-y. I smell slightly tart, slightly sweet, but it's a light scent with a perfume edge. I can't think of any other way to describe it, but that perfume edge is almost mentholic...strange, but it works! This is a perfect foodie scent for me. It's light, but it's got a decent throw. Definitely ordering a full bottle!

[Aged decant, probably a couple years old] Wet, this is a Christmas candle! I can't decide if this is a good thing or not. I definitely get spices, vanilla, and Christmas tree. It's definitely the spices making it smell like the holidays, because The Illustrated Woman and Golden Priapus (the only other two I've tried with some sort of pine/vanilla combo) did not particularly remind me of Christmas. I do like this and keep bending down to huff my hand, so it must not be a bad thing. Dry, this is mostly the same, but more cinnamon, with vanilla next, then the pine. As time passes, I get lots more cinnamon. This is definitely a cinnamon blend on me. Good throw - I can smell it without bending down to sniff my hand. I like it, so I'll have to think about whether or not I'll wear it enough to warrant ordering a bottle.

When I first applied this, I got a whiff of the sweet men's cologne and liked it a lot. But then I sniffed closer and got the "oh crap" feeling in the pit of my stomach. My skin doesn't like metal notes, but I do like scents that are unisex or classically masculine, so it was a bit of a toss-up for me on this one. When I sniff deeply, I get almost mentholated metal, along with a hint of the leather (which I love) and the cologne (which I like). It's strange. Dry, I get more leather and more metal. It's...it's actually okay so far, but I don't know if I like it. The metal note is very strong, but it hasn't turned into hair dye on me yet, so there is that. Pretty good throw, so slathering isn't really necessary. I just let me co-worker sniff, and she says it's the least favorite of all of the scents she's ever smelled on me (which, to be fair, is no more than 10 total). She didn't like the metal note. I might have to try this again sometime, but otherwise I think I'll pass it on for someone else to try.

Oh, I like this! Wet, I get creamy coconut and something dry and slightly spicy. I kind of slathered because it seems very light on my skin and I felt like my skin was eating it. As it dries I get pretty much the same thing. Mostly sweet coconut, but it's light and dry. It's not sickly sweet, which is nice because I like coconut but don't like anything that smells absurdly fake or foodie. It is slightly foodie, but I don't smell like a cupcake, so I like it. Not getting any noticeable anise/licorice. Also, this is light when I go in to sniff, but then sometimes I get a little whiff of coconut while I'm moving around. So it's got a nice throw, but it's just subtle. I let my co-worker smell this on me, and she had the best reaction of anything I've asked her to smell on me before. We're both going to try it again tomorrow and see how it compares on our skin, so I'll edit this comment with an update.

Aged decant, don't know how old it is. Wet, this is definitely amber and orange. I was worried that combination would end up smelling like orange candy on me, or that it would turn into syrup, but it hasn't! It is sweet and orange-y, but the other ingredients do a good job of keeping it from smelling like candy. I get the frankincense, which dirties it up a bit and add a smokey quality. Ambergris is still difficult for me to identify, but I get a hint of saltiness in there that must be it. I also get a hint of lilac when I look for it. I can identify all of these notes on their own, but they blend together well and none of them jump out unless I'm looking for them. The strongest notes are definitely the orange, the amber, and then the frankincense. The ambergris seems to be gaining strength as it dries, and it's nice. Oh yeah, definitely getting some saltiness here, and I like it. Overall, this is a resin-y floral orange, definitely unisex. It's not one of those scents that jumps out at me, but I do like it. Not a lot of throw, but I might try slathering it sometime to see what it's like when I don't have to press my nose to my arm. Because I like this scent, but I don't know if I love it enough for a bottle.