angelamaria

From tester: cranberry and teakwood! Minty and fresh as well, with a hint of tobacco flower. It's a non-floral floral, and seems to be right up my alley. Wet on skin: this has a cologney feel, likely because of the mint, but doesn't go all the way to that spectrum, I think because of the teakwood and tobacco flower. It's floral and fruity and minty but never really going into any of those fully--very nicely blended and balanced between the scent families. Gosh...I'm liking this a lot. The teakwood and cedar is grounding this out beautifully, I think. Eeeeeeeee. Dry: this is really amazing. It's mostly a red fruit scent now, but never tipping into "too much for me"-land. It's very nicely grounded by everything else that it never becomes too fruity. It's elegant and fresh. I don't know why exactly, but it made me think of a cross between Glowing Vulva and The Girl; Glowing Vulva was probably suggested by the teakwood note, but I have no idea why I thought of The Girl, as they don't have any similar notes. It probably has to do with the quality or "feel" of the blend? As it ages, the resins come out a bit more, sweetened by the fruits, and a hint of smokiness from the tobacco flower. Verdict: gosh, a keeper!

In bottle: floral and cool, glittering. Soft jasmine. Very pretty! Wet on skin: soft jasmine, cool and bright. I need to do a jasmine deathmatch one of these days...ahem. This is very pretty, and very much reminiscent of Zorya, but this is a "stronger" floral while wet, a bit more present and solid, and not so much on the sweetness and creaminess that I always find in Zorya. The rose is also turning slightly powdery, but not overwhelming. Dry: dry, this is a cool, bright floral with a touch of powderiness on me. The difference is much more pronounced than wet--while zorya is still sweetly bright, it is almost shockingly so against the softer Nuit. While both are predominantly jasmine blends, the other florals present give them a different feel from each other--Nuit is a more grown up zorya, with the latter a bit more playful and younger in tone. Verdict: a very pretty jasmine blend that doesn't disappoint. I prefer Zorya, but I can definitely see Nuit working as well. I can't justify multiple jasmine blends though, so this will have to be given up.

It was part of the Wind in the Willows series http://www.bpal.org/topic/50709-nowhere-in-particular/

In tester: butter rum and herby saffron. Creamy. Wet on skin: saffron, vanilla, and butter rum! Wowww. Beautiful vanilla, foody yet not. Slightly herbal, sweet, not too cloying, but very creamy. Dark, but not brooding or anything--just not bright, and not in the middle. Dry: creamy vanilla, sweet and caramelly, with bright slightly herbal saffron. Oh my. I understand why it's so sought after. Definitely in the foody realm, but not in your face or cakey or anything like that. Not plasticky in the least on me, which means this is one of the few foodies I can wear. Verdict: I was very sad when I finished my test on this, because I was after foody scents but couldn't wear many and since this was one I could wear...I stared at the prices this blend goes for on the secondhand market and, well, oh boy. I gave up. A fabulous BPALer gave me the opportunity to get a bottle though, at a reasonable price, so now I'm very happy I have some to wear and not just to sniff longingly

In imp: wow, bright! Fruity! Apples! Some hyacinth, but...apples!! Wet on skin: apples! And hyacinth. Both are equally strong and sort of vying for attention, but it's a very good meld, hyacinth a bit soapy though. Beautiful, almost intoxicating floral/fruit, and as it dries, the hyacinth is winning a bit, I think? But the apple note is giving it a clean, crisp freshness, which I like in apple. Beautiful. Clean and bright and beautiful for summer. Fresh! Almost playful. Dry: mostly hyacinth now, the apple kind of pale and probably just providing a good clean background, trying to prevent the hyacinth from taking over and going all boozy. It's a pretty scent, but as it ages on my skin, gets slightly powdery, until much later it's gone soapy and rather old-ladyish because of the strength and "fullness" of the hyacinth I would prefer the crisp apple! I even liked the color in the imp too Verdict: sadly, this blend just isn't a winner in the dry stage for me.

In tester: wow. Antique Lace...is that you?! Vanilla! Creamy! Maybe a bit of floral, but even less floral than Antique Lace. It's also deeper and darker, but that's only in comparison to Antique Lace. Wet on skin: a bit "stronger" than Antique Lace, as well--this one is a bit more "present", I understand why some reviewers get more tonka from this than vanilla. Oh, THIS IS BEAUTIFUL OMG. The lab has to release something like this again!!! Why did this not become the release version of the RPG Elf? ...well, okay, I know why. Elves do seem to be more suited to the more nature-y blend that the released version is. Nevertheless, this would have been a win, that the released version was not. Dry: does not morph on my skin. Definitely amazing! Creamier and smoother than Antique Lace at this stage, also slightly "darker" in tone, and without the floral notes. This is more similar to single-note than anything else, I think. Verdict: somehow, I will have to find a bottle of this. I don't know how. It's way past the budget I set myself at with BPAL, and I can't let myself go over that for fear that I'd just keep upping and upping it, which I can't allow myself to. But it is absolutely beautiful, smooth and creamy and nommy. See my three-way deathmatch between Antique Lace, Elf v4, and XCDL13 here: http://www.bpal.org/topic/65148-death-matchin/page__view__findpost__p__2050792

In tester: oh my gosh. Oh. My. Gosh. I opened the stopper and I said it out loud. Oh. My. Gosh. This is a sweeter, more floral Antique Lace. Whiter. If Antique Lace is like ivory, XCDL13 is white. A second sniff I did a few days after made me think of a coconutty tinge as well, although that note wasn't here my first test/sniff. Wet on skin: oh. My. Gosh. Does not morph from the bottle scent so far. Sweet, slightly/softly spicy Antique Lace, and white. Brighter, sweeter. AL is old lace, this is fresh and white and lightly dusted with vanilla sugar. Dry: soft, sweet Antique Lace. The floral note is not as prominent now, so it's not as "bright" as when wet, but still super beautiful. Simpler now, as well. Sweet, sugary vanilla. Light throw. Verdict: newly on, I definitely favored this above Antique Lace and Elf v4 (which I realized I never posted my review on, yet). I love that brightness, that whiteness. Dry, that whiteness/floral quality fades and puts it very similar to the others, albeit being the sweetest of the three. It also disappeared on my skin about 2-3 hours after. So lovely--if the lab has not yet released this, and will be releasing this with the refresh, I'm definitely snapping bottles of it, but right now, 3 hours of loveliness from a blend I have *never* seen available on anyone's sales or swaps post, premium price or no--probably not going to be worth it. See my three-way deathmatch between Antique Lace, Elf v4, and XCDL13 here: http://www.bpal.org/topic/65148-death-matchin/page__view__findpost__p__2050792

In bottle: refreshing, bright, slightly powdery lily. Creamy, very beautiful. Lovely, and quite promising! Wet on skin: light throw, but oh so beautiful. The stargazer lily note is so beautiful *_*!! It's soft and elegant, almost ethereal. So, so beautiful. The tea rose is soft--I don't really get much of it, and there is no overwhelming powder or anything like that. It's definitely floral, but not heady and in your face. Dry: oh, such LOVE. Stargazer lily, maybe a hint of the powdery tea rose, and beautiful vanilla musk. Absolute love! Light throw, very ladylike and elegant. I felt a little guilty liking Victoria, for all she's annoying, but then I love Yvaine too so hopefully that cancels out? Verdict: blind unsniffed bottle buy win!! Excellent.

In bottle: oh, very...*ponders* floral and fruity. Slightly soapy, too. I'm getting apples, but it's a little flat--yes, flat, not crisp. Wet on skin: relatively the same as the bottle smell, but oh! On my skin, it becomes a little creamier, with a vanilla sort of creaminess. It's still fruity-floral, but the bottle smelled too "airy" for me, and almost artificial as a result. On my skin, it has more fullness. It doesn't go crisp, but it does has more depth. Dry: augh. Like The Hesperides, this sadly turns grandmothery on me, a kind of "oily" and stale sort of scent. Verdict: I don't know if I'm lucky or not that I've dodged another proto bullet. I did hope to love this, but alas, my skin chem strikes again.

In bottle: yep, very berry alright. I was kind of hoping for a lightly berry scent, but oh well! There's also a touch of tea and flowers. Wet on skin: berry, musk, and tea. The berry-ness is almost like juice, high and sweet. As it dries, the flowers come out more, the jasmine a bit more prominent. Soft, almost creamy. Very pretty! Dry: amazingly, this isn't as predominantly berry on me now as it was in the bottle and wet. *fishes it out of the for-sale box where she had prematurely put it in after testing* I suppose my skin ate up all the acai berry and left most of the rest behind? Now, it's a very soft floral and tea, with a bit of musk--and this is pretty, and right up my alley. If i sniff really hard, I can still get a touch of the berry, but otherwise it's quite disappeared. Verdict: I really do like the dry stage on this one, it's my kind of scent. However, considering there is a huge difference between the wet smell and the dry smell, I'd probably be better off not gambling on my skin chemistry forever and ever not changing. Pass.

I was a bit leery of paying through Paypal for my Weenie order of doom, but I did it anyway. I then emailed a list of the scents to answers@... and got a confirmation from Bill later that day (or the next day - it was soon after though). However...I'm seeing all of these CnS's going out that were ordered after mine...and I know sometimes there's a hold up with a bottle or 5, but I really want these...and this is the longest I have had to wait for an order. Just a bit worried...emailed customer service just to check and maybe get an estimated shipping date on Saturday, and still no word. Oh well. I'm just ranting. To answer your question, I believe you should have gotten a confirmation email from customer service. You may want to email just to be on the safe side... i never got a confirmation, and i've sent one or two more messages since then, with no reply. i'm honestly starting to freak out a little bit that something went wrong and they never got my order or something or i'm mailing the wrong address... i used answers@blackphoenixalchemylab.com, too. I'm international, so Paypal is the only option, and I've never gotten a confirmation (from BPAL) when paying with Paypal--but I do get the payment confirmation email from Paypal. I just wait for a while and then the CnS comes. I wasn't aware the lab confirms Paypal orders!

In tester: ambergris, and citrus for brightness although it's not too discernible. Definitely cologney, but sexy and not WHOA THERE BOY. Clean-smelling. Wet on skin: mmm, sexy. I'd love this scent on a man. Ambergris...and it's almost smoky and leathery actually! This is delicious, slightly herbal, and clean. Ohhh, sooo~ sexy. <3 Ahem. Noble cologne indeed, but not unapproachable. This is a noble manly scent. Dry: aaaaand~ my skin loves this too, because it's getting eaten all up. Mere minutes after drying, it's gone very faint, with that delicious smokiness and leatheriness. I can't believe there is no leather in the notes list. Verdict: mmmm I would definitely slather this on my man, given a chance

In tester: whoa. Watermelon, sweet and fruity, very true to scent. Yum. I'm getting a bit of the sweet pea and the woods as well. Wet on skin: watermelon, and...uhhh. Powder. This looks like lilac's fault. Otherwise, aside from the fabulous watermelon and the powder, I'm getting the bright, white floral, which should be the elemi. I'm not feeling very hopeful of this lilac powder... Dry: lilac powder and watermelon, and nothing else. Which is sad--the watermelon and the elemi and the soft woods were really pretty--take out the powder tramping all over the place and this would be absolutely fabulous for me. I'd love to see the watermelon accord here used in other blends, because it is simply AMAZING and really unique. Verdict: well, there we go, I can pretty much say now that lilac is another death note. Sigh.

In tester: oh, wow. Luminous soft mint, soft florals, and sweet creamy white chocolate that isn't entirely too foody. Oh my gosh. Love. Wet on skin: LOVE. Light mint, chocolate, and florals. They are not specifically distinct from each other--it is very, very well blended--but if you look at the note and sniff, you can get a hint of that note. Very, very pretty. I am in LOVE. ABSOLUTE LOVE. HEAVEN. This is like...like...floral Snowblind. I LOVE this. Dry: softly powdery, but stays true to the scent and doesn't really morph. Cool, almost crisp, but very soft. Definitely a scent perfect for Lady Amalthea. Luminous, ladylike, a touch of sadness, but light and ethereal. I was worried that the powder would soon overwhelm everything, but the quality hasn't changed after a good while on my skin, aside from a feeling of even more softness, almost waning, like nightfall. Pleasantly powdery with floral and chocolate undertones. Verdict: I am in love. Definitely worthy of a bottle.

I used to do this, but now I track of stuff I have in a spreadsheet, and unposted reviews in a text file. No use writing and then typing out what I wrote, for me--I just typed my impressions and prettied it up for posting in my blog/forum topics when I felt like it I still have maybe a dozen or two "reviews" in my small notebook though.

In tester: wow, yes, dark chocolate! Creamy dark chocolate. So much yum. Wet on skin: creamier, and lighter than the tester smell. It's very chocolatey still, and very creamy. Oh oh--no hint of the plastickiness yet...maybe this will work on my skin?!!! OMFG. So. Good. Dry: no plastickiness! OMG. And I even slathered my little tester to be sure. IT IS FABULOUS. Not so "dark", but oh so good. Chocolate AND cream. Sweet, but not super sweet and super foody. Low throw on me though--it's light and almost faint. As it "ages" on my skin, the plastickiness does not appear, but it's all gone after an hour. After three hours, I catch a whiff of it, but then the plastickiness has come up. Verdict: I don't know whether I was happy or sad that this didn't work on me. I'm glad to have dodged a super rare bullet, but also sad because it was just so nommy and fabulous (as I don't like super sweet foodies).

This is for the 2011 version. In bottle: wood and olive oil, with creamy leather in the end. Wet on skin: this is actually surprisingly light, even with the wood and leather--and I'm getting both. A really nice wood scent, although I can't really tell what kind of wood it is. Look at me say wood a couple more times. Dry: wood and leather. This is a really nice wood scent. Slightly green, supple wood. COUGH. After a while it softens considerably into a nice, clean, woody scent. Obviously quite masculine. Verdict: eheheheheheh. Nice, but not for my wearing.

In decant: oh wow. creamy, creamy white floral. It reminds me a little of Antique Lace, although it's not an Antique Lace vanilla and it's a lot more floral and also somewhat chilly. Seriously, no vanilla in the notes? How can that be? Wet on skin: white, creamy vanilla floral. I guess the amber is giving this vanilla feel? The florals are vague, although I do get to identify the ylang ylang sometimes when it manages to kind of stand out a bit. Very well blended. Creamy, slightly chilly, white and very vanilla in feel. I am in love. Dry: dry, the chilliness comes back up even more noticeably--this chilly, almost crystalline aspect that somehow does not detract from the creaminess is fabulous. Super well blended, the notes don't crowd over each other. And this is a good amber on me, too! Good throw, not too strong or light, and amazing staying power--I put it on one day, in the morning, and was out most of the day, and after dinner while doing dishes I could still catch whiffs of it (and smell it clearly if I put my wrist to my nose, obviously). Verdict: at first it was merely love. Well, lovelove, but after wearing it the whole day twice, this has shot up in my list of favorite scents. It is absolutely beautiful, and amazing longevity, and just the right kind of scent and throw.

In bottle: much more lemony than Dorian, somewhat spicy, more complex--slightly darker in feel. Somewhat herbal as well, a bit of lavender. Wet on skin: yup: lemon, lavender, herbs, and spices. This is much more complex than released Dorian, there's a lot going on. Even the vanilla is spicier--if it's not actually Madagascar vanilla, then the rest of the notes give it that kind of effect. I am liking this a lot more as it dries. Dry: ohhh~ lovely vanilla musk, with herbs, lemon, and lavender. Well-blended, but allows notes to shine through at some whiffs; and this is not so much tea as vanilla. This version makes Dorian seem so, so innocent. Verdict: keeper! Oh, absolute yum. Super lucky to have been able to grab a bottle of this. I'll have to deathmatch this and Dorian, but methinks they will both live in my collection together.

In imp: coconut, with vague florals, almost fruity. There's a nutty note somewhere. Wet on skin: huhhh--I'm getting almost overwhelming nutty note from here. I'm not really too sure where that is coming from, sadly. The amber, sadly, is turning powdery already. Aside from the nuttiness, there is that high floral that's almost overwhelmed by the deep, earthy, and musky vetiver. Dry: alas, my skin's turned amber into a veritable villain, and I smell nothing but vetiver powder. Everything else has faded. Verdict: sadly not friends with my skin. This was one of my first run-ins with vetiver, and I've since realized it just don't work on me.

In imp: marine, seaside, very salty. And I mean, very salty--when I sniff, I get the saltiness even right at the back of my throat, like I'm inhaling in sea spray. Obviously, very evocative. Wet on skin: very nice reminder of the beach, at sea--a clean and salty aquatic with a bit of floral-type sweetness to it. There's a bit more green-ness coming out as it dries, but I still think it's more floral than green. Soapy, and maybe slightly citrusy. I can't see myself wearing this for sure, but it's really amazing how evocative some of Beth's blends are... Dry: soapy marine/aquatic blend. Dry, and as the minutes drag on, it goes a bit flat on my skin, and throw is faint--but what there is, is beautifully evocative. Verdict: not for me, but a very interesting scent that's worth a sniff for the experience.

In imp: lily and dragon's blood resin, spicily cherry-like. Wet on skin: sweet lily, and lilac that is quickly getting quite powdery--but not too bad, it's a pleasing sort of powder so far. There is a somewhat disconcerting crispness here, as well. "Piercing" and "radiant" does seem to be spot on for this. Dry: powdery, powdery lily, and that very powdery lilac. The dragon's blood is in the background, and at this point I'd have to say it's kind of trying to fight against the lilac, in the sense that I'm not always too sure which it is I'm smelling. Verdict: this was actually a bottle scent for me. It was within the first few hundred or so scents I skin-tested, and after a retest, I decided I'd keep it. Alas, a couple months down the road, I've discovered that no matter how un-baby-powder-ish the powder is, as long as it's this much, I don't like it so much. So, there you are. A really pretty blend but ruined by lilac on my skin.

In bottle: spicy! Spicy, creamy, and sweet. Disclaimer: actually, I have no idea what the released O smells like. I still haven't tried any. Anyway, back to this prototype: thickly sweet honey, and a bit of floral. Is that carnations? Wet on skin: mmm, vanilla, honey, and a carnation-y floral. Beautiful. Slightly powdery, but the amber note is light and golden and pretty. Less thickly sweet than the bottle scent. Promising! I am really loving this light, sweet honey. Dry: mmmm, powdery amber, honey, and vanilla, and that floral carnation note, though I think there has to be another floral or two here. There might be a hint of the carnation-clove, but the sweetness is so OUT THERE that it's not noticeable! So basically the clove-ness and the syrupy sweetness are cancelling each other out and leaving behind a not-too-spicy and not-too-sweet blend of beautiful amber, vanilla, florals and honey. Verdict: this definitely feels like a keeper. I'm not too on-board with the carnations, but it IS pretty...but I'll reserve judgement about whether to hold on to this or not until I test out the released O, or O v5 (I bought a decant of it a while ago, but it got lost in the package apparently--and I can't seem to grab hold of the seller now...).

In tester: lime, and is that a hint of clove? That makes me worried. There are definitely spicy woods here. Also relatively creamy, with the tonka and vanilla relatively seamless and only a hint. Wet on skin: lime, woods and leather. There is a pleasant sort of powderiness that has come up, and where it's possibly coming from, I have no idea. I'm getting a bit of that tea as well. Not so bad! I was expecting the clove to amp and chase everything away, but right now I can't get any clove. Dry: maybe clove bud is not so bad for me--this isn't too bad with the clove, although there is a hint of it, of course, which gives this blend a soft kind of spiciness. Lime, leather, and oak, and pleasantly powdery, giving it a--dare I say it?--deceptively soft feel. Verdict: pretty nice! This blend is closer to what I'd wear than La Mano del Destino, but still not something that I'd go out of my way for-- so, pass.

In tester: patchouli, chocolate, and tobacco. Patchouli is definitely the most prominent note, but the chocolate makes it quite interesting for me. Wet on skin: a little bit of a mix-up in the note prominence, on my skin: chocolate, cinnamon, and tobacco, with patchouli not as prominent but still encompassing everything. This isn't too bad--better than the decant for me--I wouldn't have been surprised if this was an instant no. There is also a significant woody/resin note--if my quick research is correct, that would be the copaiba. As it dries, the tobacco is getting more and more pervasive, moving towards a chocolate and tobacco note, cinnamon moving to the back with the patchouli and resins. Dry: well! Dry, this is patchouli and chocolate, with a persistent and prominent tobacco note and some warm resins. Very smooth and rich, almost-creamy blend. Verdict: interesting, and quite nice, but this isn't my kind of scent.