Jazzi

Welcome! I am so excited because I get to recommend Wilde, which is one of my favorite scents, and one that doesn't get nearly enough love. Its described as "a sophisticated traditional gentleman’s cologne, with just the slightest taint of patchouli’s passion, tonka bean’s decadence, the philanthropy of bergamot, moss’ cynicism, the sharp wit of lavender, and the hopeless romantic longing of jasmine and thyme," and you can find the reviews of it here. ETA: Rumpelstilzschen also looks like it has some of the notes you're looking for: "Firewood and ash with an oddly otherworldly blend of patchouli, cardamom, nutmeg, black pepper, tonka, vetiver, and myrrh," with reviews here.

LadyWench pretty much summed it up for me. In the bottle, it's lovely, so creamy it's almost buttery, with a big helping of maple. On my skin it immediately goes to CINNAMON AND MAPLE, both scents screaming at you. I love a big throw, so I wouldn't mind this phase normally, but putting it on immediately before getting in the car was a mistake. I had to roll down the windows and the s/o complained that it was "too much spice." Once it finally settles down (over an hour in, probably), it's a lovely, warm maple scent. Unfortunately the creaminess that I got in the bottle never really returned, and that's one of the notes I was hoping would really shine in this blend. Spicy-foodies will love it, but with so many other delicious Yule blends, I don't think I'll be springing for a big bottle.

Oh, so that's what it is~! I put it on and it is ALL SPICE ALL THE TIME. Then it dries down and I was sniffing my wrist wondering, "Is there some sort of floral in here? My stupid skin amps florals like crazy. There is one flower that is supposed to be keeping the peace in the background and my skin is making it scream at me." But no, it's honey and it's supposed to be there! I knew it didn't smell quite like a flower, nor like sandalwood, which was the only other thing I could think to compare it to. It's very sweet and pleasant, and I'll probably keep my imp, but I don't know if I need a big bottle. :/

Two days ago, I put this on and it seemed like the sinus-clearing MINT would not settle down. Tonight I put it on and it was barely a whisper before (as stated above) the warm, musky vanilla came to the forefront. There is a hint of mint in the background, but it isn't as strong as I expected. Overall it's a pleasant blend, and I'm glad I got two decants, but I'm not sure whether or not I'll spring for a bottle, since I plan on moving across the country in 8 months and I am trying to downsize my collection of stuff. Then again, bottles are very small, and I am getting quite a bit more Christmas money than expected this year ...

In the vial, this is way too strong and sharp for my taste. The minute it goes on, it is all Pine-Sol ... Then it starts to warm up and turns in to exactly what the description states. You get the pine up front, a chilly bit of winter air, a slight nip of peppermint, and cocoa beneath it all. It's really amazing to note the amount of depth and interest contained in this one scent. Even though it really isn't "my thing," I was going to keep it ... Until my skin chemistry caught 'hold of it and managed to turn it into something over-sweet and floral, as it does with all good things. I'm going to let it settle a bit and then give it a full-day test after I day-test my other Yule decants before I decide whether to swap it away or not, though.

I'm only recommending GC scents because those are the only ones you can get in imps. Queen is strong, independent, and feminine. It's recommended for wear on stage. Anne Bonny is a female pirate. She's got the above qualities, is also recommended for wear on the stage, and speaks to your love of Captain Hook. Speaking of which, the Black Rider is a character similar to Captain Hook, so he might catch your fancy. Then there's Calico Jack, who pretty much is Captain Hook. The Witch's Garden combines your love of the outdoors with your love of fantasy. I'm trying to resist recommending it because it's so common, but it's so common because it's so well-loved, so ... Dorian somehow reminds me of both Sherlock and the Doctor. Maybe it's because they're all British? Belle Epoque is also calling your name. I tried to think of a Tinkerbell scent, and that's what came to me. It's decadent, feminine, stubborn, and a little bit spoiled. It's also the scent of a highly creative era, so it seems perfect. Let's see ... Aperotos Eros for a love that is "strong as death and cruel as the grave" Hetairae, Jezebel, Sheol, and Anne Bonny for stubborn, dangerous women who are full of life and never do what you expect of them. Oh, and Hell's Belle, because ... well, just because. (For some reason the list tag is not working but I'm just going to leave it there.

*snip* For your environmentalism, love of the outdoors, garden, Wicca, and the color green, I'm thinking Strangler Fig. I'm also thinking Norman for the "pine needles and ectoplasm," a combination of earthy and fantasy, and I can't resist recommending Druid. Finally, Frumious Bandersnatch, a fantasy creature that smells like fruit and flowers. Miskatonic University is screaming your name. Ulalume and Grief are supposed to smell like flower shops, so you can at least smell like a florist, even if you don't actually want to be one. I'm also recommending Rose Cross and Hymn because I found your statement about leaps of faith to be compelling and had to try to find something for that.

This is making me crave TTLB soooooo baaaaaad. ;-; Is anyone else familiar with the incense sticks called "Fizzy Pop"? If there were a BPAL scent comparable to that, I would probably spend entirely too much money to acquire it.

Even though I'm not huge on roses or florals, I really like this scent. It was too sharp straight out of the bottle--a very prickly rose. A moment after it goes on, though, it sweetens right up. The rose is still dominant, then the lemon, but the apple is there in the background. Unfortunately, it's wavering right at the point of turning to either soap or powder, and since my skin chemistry is the best it's been in a while, I'm worried that this won't be wearable for me. So I guess it's off to swaps. I'm starting to feel like "my" scent, when I find it, will be floral--and that frightens me, since most of the people around me hate florals.

I didn't mean to skip you! I just don't usually look at incensey scents and didn't know good my recommendations would be, but I don't want you to get overlooked. So let me try this anyway. If you don't already have Anne Bonny, I'd be shocked, but I have to recommend it. It's named for a pirate and generally agreed to be one of the most incense-heavy, hippie scents BPAL makes. I'm also going to recommend Urd for the hippie/incense-y nag champa and patchouli. Finally, Port Royal again for pirateyness but also for your love of traveling.

Misk U is the usual recommendation for English majors/book lovers, but somehow it doesn't feel right for you. I'm going to recommend two that combine "books" with "classic rock" instead: The Book from the ParaNorman collection, which is old books and leather, and Trevor Bruttenholm from the Hellboy collection, which is old books, bay rum, and incense. I'd also recommend two tea scents, Embalming Fluid, which reminds me of what Sherlock would smell like while on the job (aka while not "between jobs," unbathed, and intoxicated) and Dorian, which combines your love of tea, your love of books, and your love of British things.

In the bottle, this is all light, juicy fruits. I could get a bit of floral beneath that and, oddly enough, a hint of spice which must be the "autumn breeze." That's what I thought I wanted, so I put it on ... and the fruit disappeared, of course. I'm definitely getting rose now, very clearly rose, not just "something flowery." If the fruits are there, they're only there as sweetness. The aquatics are still in the background, and there is increasingly something that registers as "spicy floral." I don't know what myrtle smells like (I've heard "resinous," so maybe it's that, but also "bayberry," which doesn't help because I don't know what that smells like, either). Melilot is supposed to smell like "new-mown hay" fresh or like "tonka bean" or "vanilla" when dried, and I can definitely smell some of that. It's very floral for me, but I think I like it. I'm just worried about the drydown, as it seems to be fading and turning almost plastic-y on me, and that's something I definitely do not want.

Why did it not occur to me that star anise and anise would smell similar? Licorice has hugely negative connotations for me, so after I got past the "mmm, cherry blossom phase," and into the "ohmygodthatsmellslikelicorice" phase, it went straight to the swap pile. That's just personal bias, of course. The scent itself is very light, clean, and sweet without being cloying. I think it would be great for spring or for a sunny day in the middle of winter. For someone else, of course.

So, so, so excited to try this one~! I love apple scents and dragon's blood. My first sniff of the imp smells like big, bright, juicy red apples. Next I get florals, ew, but okay. No hint of the dragon's blood yet. On my skin, it's like a battle between yummy apples and less-than-yummy florals. I'm really going to have to develop my ability to discern between flowers because all read as "white" and "flower shop/funeral parlor" to my nose. The apple is delicious enough that I might keep it around anyway, though, so ... Hey, wait. Where'd it go? I was just about to comment about how there was some sort of warmth in the background, probably musk and dragon's blood, and now there's virtually nothing left. It's just a little bit of floral musk I have to press my nose to my arm to smell. Disappointing. Re-applying to see what happens. Again, apples with something I don't like as much in the background--floral and musk, maybe? I'm not sure how I feel about musk just yet. Actually, the more I smell it, it's definitely floral, and it's not that I don't like it. I just wish it would go away and leave the apple alone. Or ... Apparently this is a scent I'm having trouble making up my mind about. I'm starting to like the florals there. They make it smell like a real, fresh apple skin rather than a Jolly Rancher. Even if they do tend to take over. 3/5 for me. I'm not quite sure if I'll keep this around for spring (it's definitely not a cold weather scent) or pass it. Probably the latter.

My imp is from '08, and milo got it exactly right: "creamy amber musk with a dash of spice." At least, that's what it is in the bottle and wet. I would have eaten this in those stages. Now it's dried and it's sweet, powdery, sort of generic, maybe even old-lady-ish. My skin chemistry definitely does not agree with this one--but that means I can swap it for something that'll work better!