ajansuz
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Everything posted by ajansuz
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This was a frimp from the lab. In the imp: I gave it a good huff, and it immediately started triggering scent memories for me of my Grandmother and her friends. Something very old fashioned, old lady. Another few huffs, and I felt it had to be lily. My Grandmother adored lily perfumes, powders, you name it. It was in her house and bathroom, and it always smelled that way. There was resin under it, but for me that floral floated to the top and dominated. Wet: I also happen to amp lily. The heliotrope kept it from being pure old lady, though. Even wet it's not a strong scent. I have to get close to notice it. Dry down: It started to get a little more complex. I can finally pick out a little iris, and there's something faintly spicy. Mostly, though, it's still just way too much old lady floral for me to want to wear. I do appreciate the walk down memory lane with my Grandmother and her friends. I'm not quite ready to join them on a permanent basis, though. If you like pretty, old fashioned florals, this should be right up your alley. EDIT: OK, I really didn't give this enough time. After about three hours, it became something just positively GORGEOUS. The copal and tonka suddenly decided to wake up, and the heliotrope beat down the lily. The throw was nice, and I really could not stop sniffing my wrists. My husband smelled my neck and said, "Yum." I guess if I want to wear this out, I should just apply it early to get past little old lady. Worth the wait.
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Veil was a frimp. Veil in the bottle to me is mostly violet with a little ylang-ylang and powdery orris. Wet, I amp the violet so hard nothing else really comes through. Just a kind of sugary, almost candied violet. I LOVE violet, so this doesn't bother me at all. Dry down, ylang-ylang comes back out, very gentle under the violet. Usually lavender is a funky, musty note of doom on me. It's not rearing its head in this, though. After about 45 minutes, I start getting whiffs of sandalwood. This stays pretty and close to the skin. It lasts several hours. I didn't think I'd find a violet scent I liked better than Nocturne, but this is it. It works very nicely with my body chemistry.
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This was a sweetly gifted frimp! In the imp: Very strong, sort of Irish Spring-ish, a little lemony and briny. Wet on my husband: The salt water really amps. This is a damned sexy, briny scent on him. Even better than Calico Jack, although he doesn't agree. Wet on me: Clothing detergent. Sadly, brine doesn't seem to be a note that works for me at all. Dry on my husband: Still very sexy and briny. Kind of like I would expect a pirate to smell if they bathed. Dry on me: Generic sport deodorant soap. It's a very clean scent, but it's not something I want to smell like at all.
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Another frimp! Yay! In the imp, this smells to me like boozy fruit punch, no specific fruit to be picked out except another impression of coconut, which isn't a listed note, but I still smell it. Wet, woah! Great googledy moogledy. GIN. Why must I always amp booze notes to obnoxious proportions? Now it's like gin and fruit punch PEZ. Dry down, it doesn't get much better for me. It comes out sour, and aggressively boozey. My husband says it smells like I spilled a tropical cocktail on myself, and I have to agree. While I might actually enjoy drinking something that smells like this, I don't enjoy smelling like a drink.
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This was another lovely frimp. In the imp, very lush, wet floral. Makes me think of plumeria with something soft under it, almost a coconut note but not quite. Wet, I still get plumeria and a little of the creamy coconut impression. I don't really get fruit much. There's also something fresh and green, leafy. Dry down, it stays a soft, sweet tropical floral with almost no throw. Unfortunately, it lasted less than two hours on me, but I enjoyed it while it did.
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This is beyond beautiful. In the imp, lilac...like WOAH, and a little sharp green grass. I also think I catch a hint of gardenia, a whiter, sweeter floral under the lilac. Wet on me: LILAC. Screaming amping lilac, the real deal not a perfume interpretation of it. Also beneath it more grass. Dry down: On my wrists, the lilac stays dominant. In the crook of my arm it's fresh cut grass with a hint of meadow flowers. Big throw, long last. I think this is my favorite BPAL floral yet. The only thing making me hesitant to commit to a bottle is how infrequently I crave wearing a pretty, feminine floral, but damn. 5/5 for my skin chemistry.
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This was a frimp from the lovely, generous lab. In the imp, it's bright, popping citrus and white tea with a very pretty floral note from the orchid. I'm not getting any leather, mint or teak at all. It's really weird to me I can't pick out the mint, because that's usually one of the first things to hit my nose if it's in a blend. Wet on at first I amped the orchid like nobody's business. I was a little afraid I might have to wash it off, because some strong florals can send me into headache territory fast. On the drydown, grapefruit helped to tame the orchid and everything settled into a sweet, bright, sort of sparkling kind of scent. Unfortunately, it's kind of generic floral perfume now, reminding me some of Anais-Anais, a scent I loved when I was younger but feel like I've grown out of. I was glad for the chance to try it at least.
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In the imp, the only note that really stands out for me is myrrh. Everything else sort of blends together like sweet, liquid incense. Wet I amp the teak, something I always do, and the neroli comes out very orange-blossomy. Fortunately, that stage doesn't last too long as I'm not overly fond of the citrus scents. It smells a lot more like incense after that, complex, a little dark. Dry down: Unfortunately, just as with Arachne of Lydia, my skin decided to eat this scent whole. It faded within two hours to something barely noticeable. It's a shame, because I love the more resiny, incense-y scents and would've considered a bottle of this otherwise. Edit: Oddly, a while later the scent revived, but not in a good way. The lab's lavender is a note of doom on me. It amped up funky and musty, as bad as with Gaueko. DNW.
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I have never smelled anything like this, so if you're looking for specific notes in a review, you're out of luck with mine. In the imp, to me it smells very sweet and resiny with a bit of a bite. Very pleasant, though, not at all oppressive or dark. Wet on me I finally do get some wood note emerging, but it's staying blended with the sweet and sharp. I don't get any cologne-y impression at all. It is, however, utterly gorgeous, and it's got decent throw. Dry down it stays strong, equal parts resin and wood. If this is the labs metallic, then it really, really, likes my skin. I didn't think I'd like any of the first series Unicorn scents better than Mommy Fortuna, but I was dead wrong. I'd actually wear this to a job interview or anywhere I wanted to make a confident, powerful impression. Definitely bottle worthy, and it lasts for hours.
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In the imp: Honey and gunpowder, definitely. It may be vetiver, but it's not like the vetiver of Saturnalia or Malediction. It's not that smoky. Wet: For a little bit, I really amp the gunpowder scent. Since I spend a lot of time at the firing range, this smell doesn't bother me. lol YMMV. The honey is very sweet without being cloying, and there's something with a little bit of a bite. I can't tell what note it is, only that it's a little sharp. Dry down: This is the BPAL honey that really works on me. The honey of O. Thanks to the gunpowder/vetiver/peppery note, it's not pure sex. It's darker and more complex. I've been waffling back and forth for a while now on getting a bottle of O just because it seems so single note honey on my skin. Now I'm glad I waited, because Mommy Fortuna is everything I love about O and then some. There's something a little incense-y about this. It's a close skin scent, but it has real staying power. I put it at a few different pulse points. On my wrists, the gunpowder is the strongest. Elsewhere, the honey amps more. I adore this. The first one I've tried of the Unicorn series that I can definitively say I'll get a bottle.
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2010 version: In the bottle: Lush rose + leaves + a hint of dirt. Wet: Exactly the same. Dry down: The rose amps, and the dirt does a little bit, too. It smells kind of like oakmoss under the floral. Medium throw, good lasting power. I really love rose scents, and this is my favorite BPAL rose blend I've tried so far, no black musk to go baby powder or play-doh on me. I also like the hint of green under the floral. It keeps it from being just straight up single note. I'm very, very glad I ordered a bottle, and I can't wait to see how it ages. It's the most true to real rose I've found without being old fashioned tea rose.
- 443 replies
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- Yule 20032005
- Yule 20072008
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Imp: Clove and sweet, dark fruit. A bit of a dry scent, but very lush. Wet: This reminds me tremendously of a carnation perfume I had as a child. The clove spice and sweet fruit are really similar to that. The clove amps a little, but it doesn't get potpourri or candle, at all. Dry: The clove really faded on me, leaving a sweet, slightly spicy, slighty dry scent. It smells wonderful, but the thing that I believe will prevent me from wanting a bottle of this is that my skin literally ate it within three hours and it never had any throw on me at all. If you're lucky enough not to absorb it all and you like well balanced spicy scents, give this one a try.
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In the imp: This has kind of a dry, woodsy scent. It's like a suggestion of something that wants to make me sneeze without making me feel sneezy. I know that sounds weird, but I can't explain it better than that, like a little tickle. The bergamot is bright and lively, and I can smell the sweetness of the amber. I also smell what seems like brown musk, even though it's not a listed note. I've got no idea what petigrain smells like. Is that what's dry? Anyway, moving on. Wet, this is so pretty and fun. It's a very cheerful brown little scent. I get the fuzzy impression, too. I always amp amber, and since I love it, this doesn't bother me. Amber makes this very sweet and creamy. The bergamot softened really quickly on me. Dry down is where I get what a previous reviewer compared to Haunted, but without the play-doh I get from black musk. It does kind of smell like Haunted's fuzzy cousin. Tonka finally peeks out and says hello, too, with a kind of gentle hint of vanilla. I still swear I smell brown musk, like in Whoso List to Hunt, but not as strong. It has low throw and only lasts a few hours on me. I really like this scent. Like with The Last Unicorn, I don't think I quite bottle like it, but I'll very happily use up the imp and probably buy another.
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Oh, my gosh. I usually don't much care for ethereal, delicate scents on me, because I'm not an ethereal, delicate kind of woman. This scent is grounded enough by sandalwood and oakmoss to keep it from floating away. In the imp, I predominately smelled the lilac, coconut, and lettuce with something of a cool, almost minty bite under it. It made me think of early spring in the garden, when you wake up and sometimes there's still thin frost on the leaves, a very cool, crisp, clean smell. This is probably one of the cleanest BPAL scents I've tried. Wet on me, the lilac amped, as it always does, but the coconut and lettuce still held their own. Oakmoss is a note that also amps on me, and it was fortunate this time, because it brought all that light floral and green down to earth a little. A woody fragrance also emerged, not to the point it overpowered, but it balanced. That impression of cool mint slowly faded back. It wasn't until the dry down that I got even a hint of the white chocolate, and it just made things a little creamier. By the time it was dry, all of the scents had blended to the point it was difficult to pick out any one note. Periodically, I get a small whiff of coconut or the dry waft of orris. Mostly, it's just a lovely blend. It stays close without amping too much, but it lasts. For a while at least, I believe this will be my go-to scent for spring. It's so beautiful, kind of a grown up floral without moving into old lady territory.
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2010 Version: I am SO GLAD I just went ahead and ordered a bottle unsmelled. This is AMAZING. In the bottle, it's very much fine cocoa, very dry and rich with just a hint of floral under it. Wet on, it smelled exactly like the chocolate coins you get at Christmas, rich and a little buttery, too. In the dry down, a lovely, lovely amber warmed and blended so very nicely with the dry cocoa. It's not at all foody once completely dry. The dryness of the cocoa keeps the amber from going overboard sweet. Throw is medium. It has lasted hours and hours, and I literally cannot stop smelling my wrists. I can't wait to see how this ages. I bet it's going to be downright heavenly.
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This was a frimp from the lab with my last order. In the imp it smelled a lot like Dragon's Eye, that same creamy sort of floral but more jasmine than lily of the valley. Wet on, the rose tried to amp a little for a while. After about 30 minutes, it was kind of a headachey floral. I thought I'd have to wash it off. It settled down; however, it became what I associate with old lady perfume, just very old fashioned and kind of frumpy. I got no coffee note in this at all, no tonka, no wood of any kind, and the roses weren't delicious, juicy roses. They were soapy old woman roses. Throw was medium, and it lasted several disappointing hours. Unfortunately, this scent wasn't for me.
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I don't get any honey out of this at all, which is odd, because that's a note I usually amp. I use the bath oils as after shower moisturizers. If I could smell this for the rest of my life I would never get tired of it. There is patchouli, yes, but it's not the dominant note on my skin. Pine, sharp, evergreen, rich pine grounded by the earthiness of a high quality patchouli is what I get. Something a little smoky, too, like the trace of a campfire in the distance. It stays strong on me for hours. My skin feels amazingly soft and smooth, and this scent. This scent is totally to die for. It layers really well with Bogle. I love this. LOVE it.
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This is woooonderful. Mellow apple and burning leaves. Total Autumn in a bar soap. Aesthetically, it's also very pleasing. Deep olive green with reddish brown streaks and a metallic dusting of russet along the top. Very silky lather, good body, and it leaves a hint of scent on the skin afterward. Of all the BPTP/Villainess soaps I've tried, this is second only to Shub. (I have a very unhealthy obsession with love of Shub. It would be hard for anything to displace it as number one.) It wasn't drying on me at all.
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I was hoping that this would be the oil that came with my Tricksy pack. Sniffomancy works, folks. It really, really does. I'm still a little stopped up from my recent cold, but... There is so much goodness to smell here that it had no trouble cutting through the grunge. In the bottle, I smell smoky, slightly buttery blueberry and red currant. It almost reminds me of a holiday punch my mother used to make for her big parties. Fun scent association, so it got me excited about it right away. Wet on me, there's none of the buttery scent from the bottle. It goes to sweet, tart berries, a tiny snap of ginger, Frankincense, and vetiver. (I adore vetiver, but I think even if you don't, this vetiver won't overwhelm you. It just adds a smoky depth.} I get no pumpkin out of this at all, or vanilla, not on my skin. Dry down. Berries, incense, and smoke. This is gorgeous. It just kicked The Infernal Lover off its number one spot. I'm going to cry when I use the last bit of this, but until then I will enjoy every drop.
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YUM! I do get a very buttery scent with this, but not to the cloying foodie level, just very rich, like a flaky, buttery pie crust. The pumpkin is more pie filling, less straight up gourd, with a delicious dessert vanilla. I get no spices from this. This is a going to bed wrapped up in a warm blanket scent if ever there was one. I love it.
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Wad Of Chewed Up Strawberry Bubblegum
ajansuz replied to angelicruin's topic in Black Phoenix Trading Post
Add me to the no strawberry list, but I'm not disappointed! I LOVE this. It's sugary, fresh Bazooka wet and sweet, soft bubblegum dry. Makes my mouth water every time I catch a whiff. Almost no throw, but that's fine. I don't mind not sharing and keeping it all to myself. -
This was a frimp from the lab, and woah, probably one of the most unique BPAL scents I've tried to date. In the imp I smelled a lot of wine and booze. I don't know what kvass smells like, so I couldn't tell you if this is it or not, but boozy? Oh yeah. There's also distinctly a bread scent, a little buttery and baked, with something...heavy under it. Food heavy but hard to pinpoint. Wet: I always seem to amp wine notes. This is no exception. The wine threatened to go a little waxy on me, but it toed that line and stayed there. The bread all but disappeared, and something kind of salty amped up. Not meat, but maybe suggestive of it. It's a much prettier scent than I expected from the description. Dry: Still predominantly wine, something salty, a little smoky. I'm not getting any honey at all, but I can smell berries now, wintery berries. I'm glad I had the chance to try this. I can't see it being a go-to fragrance, but when I want to evoke a holiday feeling, it's a good try. It lasts for hours and has pretty strong throw.
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This was a lab frimp. In the imp, very lemony with a hint of sweet musk and maybe lavender. Wet, straight up Lemon Pledge, both on me and the husband. Ugh. Dry, on me, the lemon goes away, leaving a white musk/lavender combo that's really nothing special and way too masculine for my tastes. Dry on my husband, straight up Lemon Pledge. Still. We don't know how long it lasts. Neither of us could wear it long enough to find out. On me it had minimal throw once dry. On him it overwhelmed the room. If you're a citrus lover, you may like this one, but if you're not, stay away. Stay far, far away.
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This was a frimp from the lab. In the imp: Mostly lavender with a hint of Frankincense and something refreshing I can't pinpoint. A crisp odor. Wet: More lavender and Frankincense. I'm having a hard time picking out any other note. Could be because I'm still a little congested. Dry down: The lavender is just really beautiful and pleasant. My skin seems to have eaten everything else. Throw low. Lasting power, medium. Maybe five hours or so before it faded to something faintly herbal. It's really nice, but I don't think I need a bottle.
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This was a frimp. Sadly, exactly what I expected to happen happened to me. The black musk in this turned the whole complex, earthy, slightly sweet fragrance from the imp into straight up nasty baby powder within five minutes. Black musk, why do you hate me so?