Wench457

ITB: Zingy! I can definitely pick out the ginger and white pepper, but the sweetness of the honey is also apparent. On: Most BPAL oils sharpen when I first apply them. This one actually smooths out, and I can smell the milk and honey much more strongly than in the imp. There's almost a fruityness to it as well, like the merest hint of watermelon. Thank goodness Polydactyl got the same note, or I'd think I was crazy! Dry: This is really interesting. The longer it is on my skin, the more it smells like watermelon. Eventually, the honey reappears, and the final drydown is lovely vanilla and honey. This one definitely needs another go round, 'cause I couldn't keep up this time!

ITB: I wasn't really sure what to expect, as I couldn't call to mind what peony smells like. This is a lovely, light and fresh floral scent. On: The tea comes out and adds a crispness to the rich floral. Dry: Surprisingly formal smelling on me, and quite lovely. The herbs and teas are in perfect balance with the peony. The throw is faint, but tantalizingly so. It makes me want to track it down. Love it!

This is spicy and sweet - smells like baklava in the bottle! As expected I amp up the spice note, but not overly so for a change. I find myself sniffing and sniffing, trying to identify the spice in this. It's not clove, and not quite cinnamon - aha! Cardamom! Very lovely and spicy, with a good throw. Oh, and DH really, really, really liked it. :ahem:

ITB: This is really warm and rich. I don't usually get colors from scents, but this one gives me a strong impression of a piece of deep golden amber with sunlight shining through it. The way the light plays through the amber and warms and brightens it. On: As usual, I am amping up the spice, but the honey and other notes seem to be keeping the clove and cinnamon under control. Dry: Wow, this is just - wow! On me, it is a close skin scent, although admittedly I was quite sparing when I applied, since I was expecting the spices to amp out of control. I'll have to throw caution to the wind next time and see if a heavier application increases the throw. Bengal is warm and spicy and comforting somehow. The final drydown is a very softly smoky honey on my skin. A perfect fall and winter scent, I'm so glad I got a bottle of this!

I'm a bit nervous about this one, because of my bad luck with patchouli. But I make a point of trying every imp which comes my way, so here goes. ITB: fruity and light. I don't sense the patchouli at all yet. On: the fruit disappears entirely, and now I get patchouli, but not overwhelmingly so. The florals are really tempering it. I know it's only a matter of time, however. Dry: Well, for about an hour I thought, "Wow, a perfume with patchouli that I can actually wear!" Then the patchouli went sour and heavy on me, as usual. This was the closest yet, though!

ITB: Sweet any spicy. Like baked apples. Yum! On: It immediately gets sharper, like powdered cinnamon and clove. Dry: once again I amp up the spices to turn a perfectly lovely blend into a spice rack. I really wanted the apples, darn it! This ended up smelling very masculine on me, due to the out of control spices.

In the imp, the word that comes to mind is astringent. I'm ambivalent about this one already. On, it become grassy, but with a floral added to the mix. It's smoother now, but still has that "voodoo edge" to it. Within five minutes it's almost completely gone on me. There's a very faint lingering scent which took me a while to place. But then I realized it smells exactly like Comet cleanser on me. I'm sure that's not what Beth means by converting female energy into power. This one will be looking for a new home.

Djinn: ITB: spicy, slightly masculine. On: Sharper and warmer, like the smoke of incense wafting from the brazier in a bedouin's tent. Tickles my nose, like just before a sneeze, though it doesn't actually make me sneeze. Dry: up close, this has a very unpleasant undertone on me that I can't quite place. The throw is spicy, like walking through an exotic bazaar. But a bit too exotic for me, there's a definite edge of malice, something teasing at the edges of my awareness, lurking just around the corner. This is also quite concentrated, I put a tiny, wee dab on, and the throw is very powerful. This is another excellent execution of a theme on Beth's part. As a frimp from the lab, I am glad I tried it, although I never would have ordered it. And now I can definitely say that Djinn is simply not for me.

In the imp this is a delicious chocolate mint. On, the mint gets sharper for a bit, then the chocolate moves back to the starring role. Only now its stale chocolate, like that Halloween stash you forgot about for two months. Eventually, it was all about chocolate scented plastic. I shall have to seek my chocolate scent elsewhere, it seems.

I gave this one two full wearings before I reviewed it. I so, so wanted it to work on me. I adore all of the notes, but alas, the combination on me is decidedly off. I get a strong herbal scent when first applied - like sage. It's startling, but pleasant. The second time I wore it, I could smell the apricot in the initial drydown - quite lovely and luciously juicy. Then it got all strange. Both times I wore this, it ended up smelling exactly like patchouli. And I hate patchouli.

This is quite herbal on me at first - I definitely smell the rosemary, which is good, because I love it. Once it dries, I smell exactly like my favorite occult bookstore. I love the scent, I'm just not quite sure I want to walk around smelling like an occult bookstore. Keeping the imp, though I will probably use it more as a room scent than as perfume.

A witch here, complete with creepy spider hanging from the brim of my hat. (Yeesh, I HATE spiders!). Spooky, of course!

Oh wow, this is gorgeous! I also get the scent of violets, but for a wonder it doesn't go all wonky on me. As it fades, which takes several hours, I get a warm, almost vanilla feeling from it, which of course I adore. So glad I scored a bottle off of ebay, and I may need to get another.

Well, I really wanted this to work on me. It has so many notes I adore, bergamot, orange blossom, mimosa. Alas, it went all citrus soap on me, before fading out entirely within a half hour. It wasn't unpleasant by any means, but two tries with the same result means it goes to a better home.

Hmm. I'm beginning to think I may be able to determine whether or not I will like a scent from the color of the oil. I just looked at all the oil in the "keep it" section of my imp box, and they are all clear, or very pale gold. Nephilim is a medium amber, like the syrup on flan. And it supports my thinking that I simply cannot wear patchouli and vetiver. Although I must say, that of all the blends containing patchouli that I have tried, this one came the closest to being pleasant on me. It has a strongly spicy edge to it that I almost liked. But still. Patchouli and vetiver. So not me.

Wow, I didn't expect to like a scent named "Zombi," but I love it! Initially, it smells like astringent lemons to me, but quickly mellows down to a lovely, light rose. Quite evocative, and very nicely balanced.

In the imp, Magdalene had a bitter scent which seems very familiar, but I just can't quite place it. On, the roses come out a bit, but only very briefly. I was so hoping for this to be my rose scent. Dry: Alas, the roses are gone now, and what is left is not unpleasant, but smells more like hand lotion than perfume. Faded very fast, within ten minutes, although I slathered. ETA: Okay, so a half-hour after I post my review, I'm talking on the phone and thinking, "What is that lovely rose smell?" It's my wrist - egads! Magdalene just moved from the swap pile into the "try it again" pile.

Ah Kumiho, I hardly knew ye. This is the first bpal I've tried where I get no scent at all from the imp. Perhaps just the faintest whiff of something sweet. On, it's a very, make that extremely, faint lemon tea. Then it's gone within two minutes. So I put more on. Now the lemon tea scent is just a bit stronger, but again is gone before it really has time to develop. I like the scent, and I'll probably keep the imp to see if slathering helps.

In the imp, I smell lovely fresh lemons. On, they show their aggressive side and become very strong, bitter lemons. For some reason though, I like it anyway. Dry I get cloves. Why am I smelling cloves? A bit later it smells as though I were standing on the edge of a cliff, watching a storm out at sea. My, this is lovely. I think I need more.

I also get a violet hit from this, but after the drydown, it becomes more spicy, with just a very slight "masculine" edge to it. I also get an incense hit from this, though I'm not sure if its sandalwood or something else. I work in the criminal justice field, and I am so glad that I like this one! It's going to be my "wear to court" scent from now on.

ITB: cherry and almond tarts - Yum! On: uh oh, some sort of chemical cleaning product. Fortunately, this phase only lasts a minute, if that. As it starts to dry, I get a whiff of tobacco, but not burning tobacco, like high-quality pipe tobacco, or the way the inside of a tobacco drying barn smells. Dry: A lovely floral, with a hint of rich tobacco. Later on, I start to get frankincense. This is an amazing fragrance, and I am so glad that I have a 10ml. I think I'll need a few more wearings to really wrap my head around it. All I know is that I love it!

In the imp: Sweet and light, though I get no tea hit as yet. On: Oh my goodness - now I see what all the raves are about! This is delicious vanilla tea on me. Definitely need a bottle of this one!

In the bottle: Civet - yikes! I probably wouldn't even have tried this one on, except that when I opened the imp I got a drop on my fingertip. So I put it on the inside of my elbow. On: Civet + me = well, in an effort to keep this family-friendly, I'll just say Something Very Unpleasant. Dry: This blooms into an absolutely gorgeous spicy floral - along with Something Very Unpleasant. Take out the civet, and I would adore this perfume. As it is, not only is this imp headed for swaps, but its in solitary confinement in a film canister until then.

On me, this smells exactly like Southern sweet tea with lemon. My super power seems to be amping honey notes, so I am very happy that isn't happening with Sudha Segara. I also find this to be a "close skin" scent, with almost no throw. I'll have to try again, putting more on, or it would make a fabulous scent for linens. Definitely a keeper either way! (Edited because I can't spell today!)

Is it wrong that I want to have The Unicorn's love child? The symbolism of the unicorn would answer "yes," but frankly, I'm so blissed out right now, I couldn't care less. I was so excited when it arrived today, that I washed off the Spooky I was wearing. Yes, the Spooky that I adore, and have been jealously amassing and hoarding since I discovered bpal only two months ago. ITB: linden, perfect fresh linden, just as I had hoped. Wet: A bit sharper, yet sweet still. Dry: Ooooohhh my. First, allow me to preface: I am a huge linden fan. I have been known to hang out on street corners, sniffing the air when the lindens are in bloom. Therefore, I was seriously all over this scent when I read the description, and bought a 5ml, unsniffed. Also, I had therefore braced myself against the possibility that it would go all wonky on my skin. I should have known The Unicorn would not disappoint. Even DH, whose best reviews of bpal scents so far has been, "better than most," (Bearded Lady and Numb) said: "I like this one!" This is such a heartbreakingly beautiful, wistful scent on me, that it literally brought tears to my eyes. It is linden blossom, but linden blossom enhanced by delicate florals and rounded with gentle herbs. It is a perfect, utterly delightful expression of The Unicorn. Thank you, Beth. I am truly moved by this scent.