ofthegood

This might be a rose scent that even non-rose folks could like - it's very much a tea rose, very young and light and feminine. I'm remembering a corsage of tiny white roses at my 8th grade dance when I smell this, which still kept its rosy scent even after I dried it and kept it in my souvenir box. I can get a hint of that dried/antique smell that people have described, too. It's not a rose garden, or lush red roses... it's almost a singular tea rose note, with just a little more behind it. Nice. However, it's a little generic for me. I'm glad that BPAL can do very simple scents, but I tend to fall in love with the complex one-of-a-kind blends that they come up with. I am also not a delicate rose sort of person. So while this is lovely, and mixes beautifully with my body chemistry, it's not me at all. I may keep the imp for when I want to pretend it's me...

Y'know, it didn't smell quite so bad in the bottle. I got the strong milky note, a bit of the mint, and a nice sweetness. Promising, right? The description and reviews sounded so appetizing, and I've had some good luck with milk notes in the past... Alas, on my skin it was a nightmare. It was three things that I detest: foodie, sour, and cloying. The fresh milk note turned to rancid awful milk, the sweetness was heavy and nauseating. The mint ran off with the spoon. I don't know how to describe the scent, besides perhaps day-old decaying milk. I've never tried so hard to get a scent off of my skin. I washed, twice, and then used some rubbing alcohol. That just left the sour spoiled milk note (ack!), which I covered with a liberal dose of something that I actually like. Every now and then, I still get a whiff of Milk Moon because it's on my clothes. I may have to change.

Hello, Christmas potpourri! This oil makes me smell like I bathed in a candle shop during the holidays. Cloying, sickly sweet, slightly boozy. In the vial, it mostly hit me as spices - the cloves are very much there, but my nose thought it also found something else spicy, maybe a hint of nutmeg? I didn't smell much else until it dried, at which point all of the other boozy sweet notes came up and I regretted applying it so liberally. I'm getting a lot of throw as I move, even though my clothing, and it's not going away. It's softened a little, but I can't stop making these potpourri/candle references. It's exactly what it reminds me of, and I can't say that I'm a fan.

In the vial, I immediately pegged this as a bold, traditional aftershave or cologne. I got a whiff of citrus, but the other notes are very woodsy and masculine. On my skin, it was still manly aftershave smell, and the citrus note didn't linger long. It reminded me strongly of an aftershave that someone in my life has worn, but I couldn't place it. That's not a dig at all - I'd call this high-end aftershave smell, it's very nice. But I spent the day sniffing my skin and picking my brain for what it smells like! It's not my grandfather's Old Spice, my brother's horrible Axe spray, or the English Leather my boyfriend wore when we started dating. It's driving me nuts, I can't figure it out! Great lasting power, and it didn't really morph on my skin as the day passed. I could still smell it pretty strongly at the 12-hour mark. Impressive. Smells similar on my boyfriend, and quite nice, but not a special enough aftershave-cologne scent to warrant a bottle purchase.

Got this as a frimp at the September Will Call and really liked the smell in the vial - I totally got the boozy mint julep vibe and was eager to try it on. Freshly applied, I mostly got the bourbon and barely a hint of mint (which is a shame, because I like mint) and I wasn't so sure about it anymore. But the drydown is the most disappointing. My chemistry has turned this into stale booze with a musty, slightly smoky, vaguely woody note. It's like an old bar, or someone's basement the day after a house party. It's still a little sweet, which doesn't help - just makes it more sickly and cloying.

In the imp and while still wet, this oil made my nose itch. That was probably the gardenia or the violets - some strong florals make my allergies twinge. That went away pretty quickly, and I got a sickly-sweet sugary floral scent with a note that reminds me of a tongue depressor. No, I can't really place that note - but it's a bit of wood and a bit of disinfectant. A few hours later, it was mostly vanilla, and a foody vanilla at that. Maybe just a hint of floral and spice behind it. Faded, it just smells a bit like cookies. Not my favorite.

I'm usually leery of scents with honey, as this can easily turn foody and I don't generally like to smell edible. Wet, it's all very strong and heavy - the floral, honey, and sandalwood all swirling about and fighting for dominance. But the dry-down is perfectly blended and I can no longer pick out any specific notes besides the honey. It's very pleasantly sweet, with a backbone of floral and woodiness that makes it complex and entirely non-foody (that's a word, right?). This is one of the longest-lasting scents I've tried. It lasted nicely for a 12-hour day and I could still smell a hint of it when I woke up the next morning. I'll use up the imp and almost certainly purchase a 5ml bottle.

When I first sampled this imp, I was blown away by the strength of the wet scent - roses, floral, green, a bit herbal, all very strong. I buckled up and dabbed it on. It mellowed a bit, but it's definitely one of those scents with lasting power that you keep smelling whenever you move. Alas, I didn't really want to keep smelling it. The dry down was soap, roses, and the orange blossom (which isn't a note that I particularly enjoy). I never really got an identifiable whiff of rosemary, which I do like. It has an overall haughtiness and heaviness on me - and that's not me. I can see the dark and sinful aspects, and the cloying heaviness of poison. It's not my cup of tea, but it would be a great scent on the right person. I may keep this imp to wear with my red velvets and brocade at renfaire.