rinoastar

I do agree with the conversation on chemistry, as well as application. For me, vanilla tends to sweeten and mellow, so Eat Me comes down to a sweet, lightly fruity cloud around me, and Lick It turns into the most ephemereal mist of sweet mintiness. Devil's Night is like evil, sexy dryer sheets and can be easily mistaken for freshly-washed clothes (if you happen to wash them in snickerdoodle-scented laundry detergent), it clings so close. For different families, I'd avoid foody stuff like the plague. Foody scents like chocolate, really sweet fruits, and anything labeled "buttery"-something-or-other will amp like crazy on my skin--I don't know about yours. Personally, I've found that boozy scents (that aren't "Rum") cling soft and subtle on me, too. Actually, I think if you find the musk that smells most like you, you'll find the scents that are not only most subtle, but the most flattering on you. For me, it's white or pale musk.

In the bottle: A little soapy, a floral-type fruit. Similar to the blossoms of flowering fruit, I'd best describe this stage as "plum blossoms". There's something bright underneath, though. It doesn't strike me as the generic BPAL "red fruit" scent, though... Wet: Holy throw, Batman! One drop and I can smell it across the room! I hope I don't get a headache from this one! It's all sweet fruit, with an undercurrent of flowers right now. Dry: Oh, this is gorgeousness. There are very few floral scents that I like, and this is definitely one of them. This is exactly the plum I wanted in Bordello, but couldn't show its bright and cheerful face under all of the heavier layers of scent. This is so pretty *_* Overall: 4.5/5

Oh, this one's bizarre... In the bottle: Butter. Definitely salty butter and car-scent cherry. Then there's cake under there somewhere, like cupcakes, pineapple, and then subtly, hiding behind everything sweet, there's something decidedly savory. Wet: Doughnuts, filled with cherry pie filling. There's a bright fruit underneath, but not quite a true pineapple scent. Pineapple candy? Drying: Turkey, I'm almost certain. Roasted, it seems, and slathered in a savory sauce, as well as the cherry/pineapple pie filling from before. There's a sweet-mustard sort of smell, too. Dry (5 min.): The cherry has some serious tenacity! It hasn't given up its forefront position between bottle and skin yet. Then suddenly, the cherry's gone and it's a maple syrup sort of thing, and something that I want to say is butter pecan but isn't--I almost want to say it's pumpkin pie, light on the cinnamon? Dry (30 min.): You're all going to hate me for this, but this smells almost exactly like I imagined Black Phoenix would from its description--with a bit less pumpkin pie. It's gorgeously foody, though there's something in it that makes me think of Gluttony. Unlike Gluttony, however, this one's...I don't want to say it's light, because it's not. It's just like eating the whole Thanksgiving meal, but it's not as "WOW, THAT'S FOOD!" as Gluttony. Also, the throw isn't so strong it makes me want to throw up. Overall: 2/5 (pretty, and intriguing, but ultimately not a "wear it 'cause it smells pretty" kind of scent)

In the imp: Buttery, but somehow still light, like really good yellow cake mix. Sweet, and in a way rather remniscient of Jack. I actually think this scent is closer to what I originally wanted out of Jack (minus the pumpkin, of course) than Jack really was. Wet: It's gone! No, it's morphing... Drying: Sharp currants in there, now, with the same buttery/creamy yellow cake batter. When I say creamy, I don't mean that it smells like cream, but that it's smooth and even, and very blended. Dry (5 min.): It's all currants right now. They're covering the lovely cake batter, and they're rather sharp. I like this, though. It's an almost-floral? Or an almost-fruity with an undercurrent of birthday cake. Dry (30 min.): More fruit than cake... At least it's a pretty fruit? Overall: My chemistry has ruined the pretty yellow-cake batter effect for me. I didn't exactly want to smell like a five-year-old's birthday party, but even a little bit of cake would have been nice. I give it a 3.5/5

Odd. The first blast is red, red rose--and it is red; it smells so different than white, to me (I know the description says white, but...)--but it's immediately followed by a blast of booze. Not quite gin or rum, it's more a champagne crystalline smell. There's a woody undertone being hidden by the roses. I was expecting Rose Cross, really, but this honestly nothing like that for me. It's very lovely, but Rose Cross is much more a picture of divinity while Parlement of Foules is rather a picture of the stereotypical Valentine's Day celebration. All it's missing is the chocolates and it would be a perfect picture of what I think of when I think of Valentine's Day. Very pretty, but I much prefer white(er?) roses. The booziness is a nice touch, though. I love boozy scents!

In the bottle: This has an enormous amount of throw. It's faintly sickly-sweet and definitely has patchouli in it. I'm in for a wild ride Wet: There's a strange herb in it, spicy and sweet, but the patchouli is beginning already to smell like rotting leaves. It's got a faint whiff of cinnamon or something similar. Dry: Sweetened slightly. This one blooms, and the longer I have it on, the more layers begin to show. I can't put my nose to my wrist because it's strong and has a hell of a kick. There's a cloying patchouli sweetness in the background, but the spice and light florals are very pretty. There's a faint whiff of tangerine rind sneaking around, keeping the patchouli stink from becoming too noticeable. Overall, this one is okay. A better-for-my-chemistry scent than Black Phoenix, not as pretty as Pink. It's a "going clubbing" kind of scent, and has heavy throw with a nice long stay. I'd give it a 3.25-3.5/5.

In the Bottle: Lemon. Lemon, lemon, lemon, all over the place. Wet: Augh, the lemon amped! I do enjoy lemon and the freshness it brings, but it's not my favorite citrus. Dry: The lemon has sweetened up and is now lemonade. I think I'll keep this around as a novelty scent for the summer/spring, but it's all lemon, and nothing but lemon.

In the bottle: Very strange. It actually reminds me of the smell of a cheap motel room. Not like Bates Motel, but maybe a Day's Inn or something. Wet: Still very much the smell of a cheap hotel. Like other people have lived there, so there's a ghost of someone else's shampoo, maybe woman's perfume, the sweetness of cleaning solvents and freshly cleaned linens done with an unfamiliar detergent. Dry: This one was a very strange sensory perception for me. It's not necessarily a bad smell--it didn't make me gag or anything, but I can't see myself wearing the smell of the Day's Inn. Overall, I'd give it a 2.5-2.75/5.

In the bottle: Is that...carrots? Wet: Carrotty. This is odd. It's masculine-sweet, metallic, and not unlike the smell of bloody carrots, or the knife that's just been used to cut carrots. It's got very herby undertones. Dry: Curiouser and curioser! No more carrots, but I couldn't begin to tell you what I'm smelling now. It's manly, and herby (in fact, quite like I'd imagined the Apothecary would smell like by name alone), sharp but not sharp, and not at all evil-smelling. It reminds me strongly of the doctor's office, or the dentist--clean and semi-sterile smelling. Er, I looked at the notes listing and this is supposed to have florals? I'm not getting flowers at all. Just a strange, manly, metallic, herby smell. My nose is odd.

In the bottle: Sharp and a bit sour. This is not the same apricot in March Hare. Wet: Boozy, in a sharp, acidic sort of way. Slightly sweet, and fruity. Dry: Definitely not the same apricot as in March Hare. This one is sharper, meaner in its own way. I really want to try layering with Mme de Merteuil. Overall: I like this one a lot, but not as much as March Hare, I think. It's a very sharp, sarcastic sort of apricot, whereas MH is very warm and friendly. This one has mega amounts of throw, though, and I'm certain it's one of those I'll soon grow to love--after all, not every BPAL is love at first sniff; sometimes you have to give it a test-run before you can really love it wholly. I'd give GG a 3.75/5.

Very pretty--almost moreso than I thought it would be. There were a few notes that worried me, but for the most part, they were very well blended and not a bother. In the bottle: vanilla, and sweet. Not sickeningly so, but present. Wet: sweetness, with bursts of honey and the occasional flit of strawberry Dry: very smooth, with almost no distinct notes. the honey jumps out once in a while, but overall it's a sort of barbie plastic pink, though not in a bad way. Not very much "me," but not terrible.

I got this as a decanted imp from O_W's decant circle. In the bottle: Surprisingly smooth and mellow. It's dark and mean, but not in a bad way--more playful than malicious. Wet: Wow, strong. There's the initial nose-numbing pepper, with a rush of sweet clove, but the cinnamon rushes in and does a dance all over them with its steel-cleated golf shoes. Dry: Cinnamon. Wow, Big Red gum. Also, wow, throw. Later: This scent's got some serious staying power. It's a potpurri sort of cinnamon now, but it hasn't faded a bit in at least four hours, and it's been more than ten since I put it on. It's a very warm scent, and I rather like it, but it may prove too strong for daily wear. I'll experiment with layering, but I don't think I'll need more than my imp.

Ugh. I got this one as a frimp though I'd never ever ever desired it, so I guess I can chalk it up to "c'est la vie." At first it was bright lemon--quite like Holiday Moon, actually--with a creamy undertone, but literally seconds after hitting my skin it was milk. Like whole milk, with all the butterfat. I hate milk. I can't stand the smell of it, the taste of it, the feel of it on my tongue. Any milk with more than 2% butterfat makes me sick, and I can only drink what's left over when it's so cold it shocks the teeth. If you're looking for milk, this is definitely it. It's the all-milk-all-the-time party station. But as for me, milk=retching. There's a very pretty spicy flower (like carnation, though there's no carnation in it--maybe ginger+pepper+honey?), but the buttery milk smell makes my stomach hurt. This is obviously a case of chemistry/quality/ingredients not being a problem--I just can't stand milk.

Oh. Em. Squee! Mistletoe, you are my love; I shall not want for another! I was just despairing that I'd meant to grab a bottle (or six) of Mistletoe (unsniffed, since I'm a newbie) on description and reviews alone but had put it off until to late when my Holiday Moon order came in. I knew I'd ordered Holiday Moon and something else, but I'd forgotten that it was Mistletoe! I bet they could have heard me all the way at the lab for how loud I squeed when I realized. I immediately did a test spot and then slathered. Let me explain: there's this scent that I love. It's not quite fir or pine, nor cold air or berries. It's got spice, but not the usual spices. I call this scent Christmas, because that's the only time I ever smell it, but it's one of my very favorite smells ever. Ever. And Mistletoe is this scent. It's pine and fir and snow in the distance, crinkly shopping bags and cheerful music and the fresh slap of cold wind across your face. I love it. Mistletoe is hands-down my favorite of all of the Yule scents (even Lick It), and a very high contender for my favorite BPAL oil. I am so in love.

The scent of a Cosmopolitan cocktail. For me, this one started out full of cranberry and lime. There was a sweet note that I'm beginning to realize is the lab's booze note (which has always gone sweet on me, rather than acrid or acidic). As it dried, it became drier and strange, like fake lime juice or lime-flavored candy mixed with a nosefull of old dust. This phase is brief, but enough to warn meaway from a full bottle. I'll keep my imp.

Eee! My favorite of the Yules! Lick It is wooooooonderful. It's like sucking in a big lungful of snowy air after eating a candy cane. The little touch of vanilla is just perfect to sweeten up the peppermint, and I can see myself wearing this one a *lot*. Pity I only bought one bottle!

I can't believe I haven't reviewed this one yet! I rather like this one, but I can see it getting only limited use. A little will last me, and not out of dislike. I just don't have many places I can wear this. This scent is delicious, though. It's warm and buttery, with brown sugar notes and clove. It's exactly how I'd wanted the baseline in Jack to smell, and it does indeed smell divine with Jack. On its own, though, GP is lovely, but more of a warm wintry smell for the months before Christmas. After the holidays, I'm afraid I prefer to take a break from the sugary sweet festivities for darker, sharper notes. However, GP is perfect for before!

I got this one as a frimp, and it really reminds me of something quite different than its description: hairspray. There's some sort of hairspray out now (I want to say it's Herbal Essences, but anyway), and this one smells a great deal like it. It reminds me strongly of commercially scented shampoo. I'm not sure I like it, as it reminds me of being in the dressing room before opening night as the divas teased their hair and everyone prepared to go on stage. Later: There's still a lot of hairspray smell, but it has calmed a bit. Not really enough, though, as it is still giving me a headache. Ow, and ew. For hairspray, it smells really good, but at the end of the day, it's still hairspray.

In the bottle: Wow, nail polish remover. Ew. Wet: Violets. Violets, with a touch of rose and a healthy dose of sharp old-lady scent. Yuck. Dry: Thank GOD this one faded fast! Ew, ew, ew. Here's hoping I can find a home for it. I'm sure it's lovely to someone else, but this is exactly what I have always hated about rose perfumes: sticky, cloying, and oversweet. It's like straight rose oil, but worse because it has just enough violet to give it serious throw while it's going. Summary: This is exactly what it advertises as. Had I not gotten this as an imp, I would never have tried it, and for good reason. Ew.

I got this one as a frimp with my last order, and to be honest, this isn't really one I'd wanted to try at all. That isn't to say I didn't want it, but I'd never really thought about it much. The Apothecary is an interesting scent. I like it a lot more than I thought I would from the description: it's sweet, but not overly sweet, grassy and bright. It reminds me a bit of Beth's white roses, but I don't think there's rose in it. It's not Victorian rose, though--more like a little bush of wild roses growing near a cool stream. The sweetness is building, and the scent deepens into a gorgeous bergamot/rose type smell. I'm really stunned by how gorgeous this is, and by how far away from my normal smells it is. I would have never chosen this, which is further proof that the labbies are brilliant, brilliant geniuses.

Well, that does it: the lab is psychic. For my past three orders, I've been putting an imp of this in, taking it out, putting it in (and shaking it all about) and ultimately deciding to wait (since there are so many gorgeous LEs to try!). I got this as a frimp in my Yule order, and I'm so glad that I'll be able to finally try it. In the bottle: I can't tell. I spilled a bit of Follow Me Boy in the pocket of my coat, so now the paper tag smells like that. From what I can tell, it's green. Not "green" like plants, but green like the color. There's a sweetness and mild muskiness, and a faint tang of mint. Wet: One of the reasons I've been afraid of this one is the ambergris. I'm a scent newbie--the idea of wearing whale vomit sounds awful. But there's no vomit to be heard from, whale or otherwise. Cathode is sweet, sweet, sweet, brightly green and slightly minty, with a wonderful cool soapiness in all the best ways. It reminds me a little of the smell of a hot guy after he's gotten ready for the day: slightly musky, minty from toothpaste and very discriminately cologned. Dry: It hasn't begun to fade yet, and there's a lovely sort of waft to it. I only dabbed a bit on my arm, but I can smell the pretty green color as I type. It's not really an arm-stuck-to-the-nose kind of scent as it is an if-my-arm-were-a-hot-guy-I'd-hit-that kind of scent. The mint is slowly amping (amping? most people complain of fading, but not on me just yet) and there's this wonderfully complex green (like grass this time) smell coming up behind it. Overall, Cathode is devastatingly handsome. I want to find a guy and slather. On me, it's still really good, and maybe I'll wear it to attract said guy.

This one's sweet, but I was hoping for a bit more spice. Or, well, any spice, really. It's a very warm, sweet apricot with a base note of vanilla, very much like an apricot tart. I can even smell the pastry, the brown sugar sprinkled on top, and a little tiny bit of cinnamon/nutmeg, but there's no clove. It's very sweet and apricot-y, and very pretty. Definitely more a spring/summer sort of scent, though, and I think it might even warm up more when the temperature does. Even so, it's worth keeping, and maybe even getting a big bottle eventually.

I got this one as a frimp, and I'm still not sure what I think of it. It's a very strong floral, aggressive and pushy. It's got the same flowers as Mme deMerteuil to me, and I love those flowers--they're sophisticated and womanly, assertive without being noxious. These were the first flowers I enjoyed in a perfume, and I still love them. On the other hand, there's something in here that's bothering me. It doesn't jive with something hard-wired in my brain, like some basic impulse is being offended by it. Basically, it smells like "the other woman." It's got this sharp, tangy smell in it, and not in a good way. Whenever I've smelt this smell before, I've referred to it (at least mentally) as "stank-----", the smell of a loose woman who's made her way around the room and come back to her chair reeking of unwashed body and feminine arousal. I can see how this would affect men, I think: it's flirty, feminine, and deeply sexual on a primal level. However, it doesn't replicate my own body's pheremones closely enough for me to feel empowered by it--I just want to growl and bite the heels of the other female trying to take what's mine. I'll try it later, at a different point in my cycle, but if it doesn't work, it's off to a friend.

I've found that white musk tends to go sweetly spicy on me, as long as it's not paired with fruit. It's not usually too sweet on me, but Devil's Night is gorgeously light and slightly spicy on me. It's an LE, though, so... Nero, by the by, is gorgeous on me, too. Very fresh-smelling to me, with its pine and rosemary, and spicy in that my nose registers, "Oh, there's something interesting going on here!"

Somewhere in the middle of Samhain, M deMerteuil, and Mabon, my decanted imp of Harvest Moon is sitting, grinning like a fox. It's got the sharp floral smell that I get from M deM--that is, to say, it's got the same flower in it; the apples are much closer to Mabon's apples, which are very full and earthy-sweet, like apples that have recently fallen from the tree; HM05 and Samhain share what I'd say was the "autumn air" smell, and the slightly musty (which ought not be confused with "musky," which I love) sweet sick smell of slightly turned plants. Despite reminding me of two of my very favorite oils, I have to say that the Samhain part is a bit too much for me. I just really don't like Samhain, and I suppose it's affecting my opinion of this one. I don't dislike it enough to sell/swap, but I won't be hunting it down, I think. Somewhere in the middle of Samhain, M deMerteuil, and Mabon, my decanted imp of Harvest Moon is sitting, grinning like a fox. It's got the sharp floral smell that I get from M deM--that is, to say, it's got the same flower in it; the apples are much closer to Mabon's apples, which are very full and earthy-sweet, like apples that have recently fallen from the tree; HM05 and Samhain share what I'd say was the "autumn air" smell, and the slightly musty (which ought not be confused with "musky," which I love) sweet sick smell of slightly turned plants. Despite reminding me of two of my very favorite oils, I have to say that the Samhain part is a bit too much for me. I just really don't like Samhain, and I suppose it's affecting my opinion of this one. I don't dislike it enough to sell/swap, but I won't be hunting it down, I think.