Incendiare

Simply put, this is Cake Smash minus the depth from the Dorian and/or Snake Oil, depending on your nose. This is definitely the cupcake and frosting from Cake Smash, and also has excellent throw. This doesn't morph on me at all. I've tried both the original and the resurrected versions, and they are practically the same. While I prefer Cake Smash because it has that extra special spicily deep something, this definitely fills that Cake Smash void. I know these are rare too, but anyone trying to get their hands on Cake Smash or Cake Smash v6 would be happy with these as well, and vice versa.

Strawberry Moon smells like a strawberry cocktail or slush in the bottle. Maybe even a bit like a hard candy, but applied to my skin, the green notes very similar to Nothing Gold Can Stay comes forth. It's refreshing and lasts all day. The green notes especially linger throughout the day and stick to my clothing. Very nice for the summer. It's clean and sweet, yet not nauseatingly sweet.

Pure gorgeousness. This has the subtlest hint of soft and sweet blossoms. I can't get over how innocent this smells. It's smooth and airy, sweet and feminine. Plus it's so well-blended that I can't pick out any particular notes.

I'm up for trying anything vanilla. This definitely reminds me of vanilla ice cream, although there is an artificial undertone lingering in the background. On me, it's very rich. Actually better on me than in the vial, but still a bit two-dimensional. I'm glad that I was able to try this but would never buy a bottle. The decant will be awesome for layering experimentation, though. I find the description to be spot on, so if melty vanilla ice cream is your thing, try it out.

In the vial, this reminds me of when you cream butter and sugar together for cookies. Kind of on the light side too. It doesn't really change that much on my skin, except I do detect a bit of breadiness now. While this isn't an offensive scent, I would never consider buying a bottle of this. I'd maybe wear it to bed on a cool evening but that's about it.

A bowl of almonds in the vial and a bowl of almonds on me during the wet stage. As it dried, it pulled a Seraglio on me and turned into roses. The bowl of almonds has definitely taken a back seat. This is a total surprise because I imagined this one to be dark and resiny.

Speaking of orchid, I am still kicking myself for never getting a bottle of Regan and always pushing it back onto the next order. I never dare use my imp. I wish there was something out there very similar.

I too find O to go a bit powdery at the end, which I like.

And I don't know if it is just me, but Lilith vs. the Giant Crab tends to go powdery on me near the very end. It has to go through two hours of oceany orange juice first though.

 

Totally agree about the Tonka in BPAL. It appears in most of my favorite scents, and those are primarily sweet scents (vanilla+amber+tonka is the holy trinity of base notes for me).

 

I've noticed with Lush stuff that lavender appears frequently, but seems to be a fugitive note. Like, you almost smell it, and you smell it in the product at the store, but as soon as you drop it in water it disappears quickly. Which is good because lavender also goes medicinal on me. I had been avoiding TKO for that reason, but I might reconsider.... a lavender vanilla marshmallow sounds kind of delicious!

Those three are favourite notes of mine too. It just seems so difficult to find perfumes that showcase tonka. Either it is way too far in the background to even notice it that much or it is sitting next to an über heavy polar opposite note that I personally cannot stand.

I'm so weird because for the first few years that I used Lush, lavender always medicinally jutted out at me so it took me years to even dare try products like French Kiss or Waving Not Drowning. I can still smell them once they've hit the water, but I've actually grown to appreciate it in certain products. Love it in AOBS now whereas I hated it before. Don't be afraid of TKO, although I personally recommend getting the massage oil from the Trading Post. Have never tried the perfume oil but I've read that it is more lavendery, hence more medicinal, than the massage oil. You won't be disappointed with the massage oil! It is my favourite lavender-heavy perfume to date.

Although they are not exactly alike, I find that Glowing Vulva, Love's Philosophy, and Hod v2 all share a common creamy note. The carnation in Hod v2 throws it off enough to still be unique, but for me, when I run out of my Glowing Vulva bath oil, Hod v2 will fill that void for me.

To date, the only BPAL I have come across that reminds me of a specific Lush product is Sybaris. I have noticed a lot of forumites comparing it to Skinny Dip, but to me, it is a lot closer to Chai shower gel.

I totally agree about finding something similar to Twilight. TKO is way too different (but still amazing, like a lavender vanilla marshmallow), and most lavender blends from virtually anywhere tend to go very medicinal on me.

And I loved the Soft Touch too. Smelled kind of like a vanilla pipe tobacco to me.

I wish BPAL had a strong tonka perfume oil, something that would smell along the lines of Think Pink or Absolution. It seems like every single BPAL with tonka also contains either leather or patchouli (Pussy is an exception), notes that tend to hate me.

I do however agree that any Potion lover should hunt down some Hod. Although they are not exactly the same, both are heavy on the carnation.

Oh, and how I wish BPAL had a Floating Islandesque perfume.

Wow, this is so warm and comforting, yet elegant. It's all honey and beeswax. It stays close to the skin. I'm definitely getting a bottle of this.

I'm moving to Sweden in less than two weeks and I'm not sure what to do with my 50+ bottles and pile of imps. I was originally going to put them in my checked luggage. Just bubble wrap and teflon tape the hell out of them. But all this talk about shipping is giving me second thoughts. I'm just worried about the parcel getting lost in the mail.

I think I'll risk it and keep my imps in my ammo box, and stick that in my checked baggage. It's the bottles that are worrying me.

Regarding the liquids ziploc baggy, I just bought a carry-on that comes with a ziploc, but it's a bit translucent. I wonder if it'll be good enough or they'll whine about it.

The sweetness is a huge surprise. Combined with a grassy note, there seems to be a fruity, pear-like note in here too. I can see where other reviewers are getting nail polish from because when I apply this to my skin, it sort of takes that turn. To my nose, it seems that the sweet note is linked with the potential nail polish feel this brings. It's still remaining sweet though. I don't really know what to make of this blend. When the lab frimped me this, it initially smelled very dry, slightly woody, yet green. Six months made this morph into something smoother yet ultimately, it's still kind of weird. The sweet note that has come forth with age, while unique, doesn't work with my skin chemistry.

Sharp lavender cologne in the imp. I once hated lavender. No matter what it was blended with, it always smelled medicinal but after years and years, I have finally grown to appreciate some perfumes and products with the essential oil. Here, it's not my favourite, but it's not bad either. Wet, Villain is a bold lavender musk. The lime peeks out a bit too. Very unisex. If you like lavender, try this out. The lime gives this one an interesting twist.

This is actually quite well-blended. I was expecting the patchouli to attack my nostrils since it's always a death note for me. The oakmoss and juniperberry have been blended very well together. Unfortunately, it goes a bit medicinal on my skin, but otherwise, I'm impressed. This isn't my thing but I would recommend it to anyone who digs earthy blends.

Holy medicinal Batman. That eucalyptus is boss. I think the juniper that trails behind almost amplifies the qualities of the eucalyptus. The juniper catches up to the eucalyptus once Loup Garou is applied to my skin. This is so sinus-clearing that my nose actually feels a bit tingly smelling this. I would never wear a blend like this but would consider trying this out when I'm battling a cold.

Huh. Ouija is kind of spearminty in the imp but dried out by the woods. I like spearmint but I don't think it work here. There are no flowers in the picture. But wait, the second I apply Ouija to my skin, I get a quick blast of rose then it's vanishes. The mint re-enters and hovers over top the woods. Because I amp rose, I shouldn't be surprised that as this dries on me, the rose finally tip-toes back in. It's actually not as bad on me as I thought. Would I ever wear it? No, but it's interesting.

Herbal, earthy, and rosy. The roses actually come last for me. I find the dryness of the herbs and slight medicinal touch of menthol too distracting to notice the rose that much.

The first time I smelled this, it literally smelled like manure. It reminded me of driving through the countryside and passing a barn. Now, it smells a lot more medicinal, but with an earthy base. I'm actually too afraid to try this one me because medicinal notes don't change on me and these earthy notes just amp and smell like dirt. And are extremely difficult to scrub off. I appreciate the frimp but it's just the wrong blend for me.

I'm not a patchouli fan, so for me, that note automatically jumps out at me. But after getting past that, the plum and rose geranium makes this a bit more sweet and floral. The rose geranium especially gives this a hint of freshness. Once I apply the Night-Raven to my skin, it's definitely all over. The patchouli runs rampant.

The Witch's Garden slaps me in the face upon opening the imp. It's like carrots freshly pulled out of the earth combined with some seriously sharp herbs. That wormwood and hemlock make my nose wrinkle. I'm not putting it on me right now, but when I did before, it smelled not much different. I closed the imp minutes ago and it's still lingering in the air. Sorry, not for me.

I was looking forward to trying this blend because it has so many notes that I adore. Black tea, ginger, honey, and vanilla, which a touch of creaminess from the milk. How could that not be awesome? The moment I opened my imp I was hit with something sour and off. The milk. To my nose, it's definitely sour. The black tea and lemon follow but there is no chance they can save this blend for me. Blend them together and you get lemon meringue made with expired milk. White Rabbit made me realize that the lab's milk note will never be my friend.

Very dry herbs with a hint of dry woods in the background. It's also laced with something medicinal like eucalyptus or something. There's a dirty note lingering in the background too. I swear it's patchouli. None of these notes are my cup of tea so I'm going to have to pass.

I'm so glad I didn't write a review on this nearly a year ago because I wasn't feeling my fresh Dorian imp. It was so lemony sharp and almost two-dimensional. I didn't get the hype at all. But as my imp slowly aged, I found myself reaching for it more and more even though it was still on the sharp side. I finished the imp before I knew it and promptly ordered a bottle. That bottle has become so smooth, like a fine cup of tea and sugar with a squeeze of lemon. It's so comforting and can be worn virtually anytime of the year. I'd also say that fresh, the musk is what gave it that sharpness, but now it blends beautifully with the sugared vanilla which I couldn't smell at all when it was fresh. If you don't like this one right away, definitely put it away for a while and retry. The wait is worth it.