herongale

preconceived notion: What, no patchouli? in the imp: tree roots ground up into sandalwood, producing a fresh sharp aftershave kind of scent. The men's department at Hudson's used to smell like this. My brother's first cologne smelled like this as well. It's kind of chintzy, kind of sleazy, and full-out ballsy. Best thing to compare it to would be one of those cozy hunting lodges up north which are basically retreats for men. Some guy is overcompensating for not bathing with this one. wet: well, I'll be damned. This becomes the freshest, greenest, most rugged man-scent ever. On my skin I feel like it's converting my estrogen to testosterone via some mysterious alchemical process and I want to go kill animals and eat them raw. The lemon and sandalwood are really the predominant notes that I'm picking up. It occurs to me that my designated rapist, Scar (*), would absolutely destroy my brain if he smelled like this. IT'S SO SEXY. Everything about men and masculinity that I love: the big feet, the hairy arms, the strong hands, the flat chests, the stubbly chin, the defined muscles... I'm in love. drydown: slowly this becomes more and more lemony. A man who has showered after having marathon sex, most probably. Or after killing state alchemists. *fans face* Is it getting hot in here, or is it just me? verdict: I WANT A MAN TO WEAR THIS AROUND ME SO I CAN BECOME HIS WILLING SLAVE. /TMI post-conceived notion: hotter than Dorian by a wide margin. (*) Scar is a character in the anime series Fullmetal Alchemist and I only call him my designated rapist because I want his virtual body.

preconceived notion: Well, after my disaster over Pumpkin Patch #2, I wasn't too hopeful. But that doesn't keep me from thinking that the description sounds really, really good. And I know that a ton of people love this one. Admittedly, usually they are "foodies", which are to me a strange and exotic creature in the scent-appreciation world (probably because /me hates the ubiquitous vanilla something fierce). However, no vanilla or almond listed, and I do love nutmeg and cloves. in the imp: nutty and creamy sweet, this kicks me with a scent that smells nothing like pumpkins and which has a leading edge that reminds me of butter melted over warm banana nut bread. I can't say I love it, but I really don't hate it either... it's not got that artificial candle smell that I hate, the notes all seem to blend together nicely. It's STRONG. wet: At first the sweetness intensifies but it quickly mellows down. There is no way this is like the Pumpkin Patch #2, no way... this is a lot milder and far more appetizing. Not at all giving me a pumpkin vibe, but perhaps I get a butternut squash thing out of it. Instead of banana bread, this reminds me more now of zucchini bread, which is getting me slightly closer to gourd territory. And, strangely, there is almost the hint of cider here. It's a fruity, spicy scent that probably comes from the combination of peaches and cloves, and it's fresh and warm and nicely sets off the overarching golden melty savour I'm noticing. dry: whoa, what a pretty spicy scent. It's very comforting, like the way I'd imagine a classically-run farmstead kitchen would smell. The kind of kitchen that has wood burning ovens built into the wall, where lard is rendered and winter apples are sliced. In fact, this reminds me of the Eagle Tavern in Greenfield Village which is run like an old-style saloon (website says it was built in 1831), and which serves hot apple pie with custard, buttery squash, ciders and ales and rums, meat pies, and a whole bunch of other really yummy things. verdict: against all expectations, a keeper. It is unclear if I will want a bottle of this later or not, however. post-conceived notion: maybe I, too, am a foodie... a vanilla phobic one.

pre-conceived notion: I've had this imp for so long now, that I don't even remember how it was I got it. It was a freebie imp from someone... possibly from the Lab... and I've used it so many times that it's hard for me to remember what my initial impression was. It's the only cherry-colored oil I've seen from BPAL so far. Obviously the description on this one alone is enough to intrigue, but without any mention of the notes I really don't think I had any firm idea of what I was getting myself into. Later research told me that the red is probably from Dragon's Blood. in the vial: This scent is warm and sticky and sweet. It kind of gives me the feeling of an elixir or rich balm. I get this impression of a naked woman in a tent in the desert, wearing golden bracelets around her wrists and ankles, sitting on silk cushions while she annoints her brown body. This is very much a seductive scent to wear while preparing oneself for a night of abandon. Although this lists itself as an oil to entice new lovers, this is not a love spell... I think the love and fascination is a given. You need to be pretty confident in the feelings of your lover for you, and of his desire for your flesh. This is for when you feel young and alive and vibrantly desirable, and simply want to make sure that this fact is underlined in an irresitible fashion for your lover (who is clearly off panting in the wings). wet: All the promise of the imp just explodes into something deeply and assertively sexual. There is a faint hint of spice under the sweetness, a warmth that reminds me of cinnamon if somehow cinnamon were stripped of its teeth. The sweetness is not floral: it reminds me of sugar water and spun pink cotton candy. There is a faint bite of raspberry cordial in this too. I get the feeling that this is Dragon's blood and cherry and cinnamon in the most lovely, complex blend imaginable. I can see why this is classified as a magical blend. drydown: God, this is just so pretty and gorgeous. The decadence puts me in mind of aancient Egyptian queens. verdict: I MUST BUY MORE. post-conceived notion: if this is what Dragon's blood can do, maybe I actually will like scents with this note after all!

I'll try to do this before the alcohol hits! Dorian (Sin and Salvation) preconceived notion: This is one of the more popular BPAL scents. It's supposed to be extremely manly and yummy. The description is promising, and with my success with Saint-Germain (another scent based on an Immortal) I have serious hopes. I got this one as a freebie imp from the lab, but have been meaning to try it anyway. Mmm! in the imp: The musk gives this a substantial cologne feel, but there is a strong undercurrent of lemon that adds a vivacious feel. The scent is very masculine but also very NATURAL... this reminds me of Michaelangelo's David, kind of... a sort of purity and idealism of manhood in the flower of eternal youth. wet: ooh. I almost think I can smell the tea here. Vanilla, a note I usually do not like, is here, but it is very subtle and deliciously supportive instead of taking the main stage. The main impression remains that of the lemon and the musk intertwining together. I get this vision of illicit swimming in a private pool in the middle of a lemon grove, somewhere in Greece. There is also a kind of spiciness to this scent, vaguely peppery and dark. Crushed, dried bitter olive leaves... not QUITE tea, but almost. drydown: the man who would wear this is very mysterious, arch, and sexy. It goes without saying that this is a man's scent, although a woman could definitely wear it too if she was wanting to get in touch with her inner Apollo. verdict: YES. I'd say more, but I'm drunk now. So YESSSSS. post-conceived notion: YESSSSS.

The lab sent me a freebie of the Diabolus scent, "Imp," but after careful comparison, I've determined that this is a mis-labeled version of Lampades. It is identical in color, bottle scent, and drydown. Imp is supposed to smell like peaches and musk, amber and patchouli, but this has the very distinct smell of berries under the stars that I get from Lampades. This review will be a placeholder to remind me that although I was sent an imp of Imp, I really don't think I've had a chance to accurately try it yet. I am now determined to cross-check this against another vial of Imp and see if I'm correct. If I'm not, and this oil IS the correct one... well, it's a dead ringer for Lampades on me. From start to finish hours later. *shrugs* Strange, hey?

pre-conceived notion: Was I wanting to try Pride? I don't really remember... probably yes. Not for Dante's sake, though. Even though he is the epitome of Pride sometimes, he is NOT the epitome of rose. Rose is more of a "me" thing. Narcissus, though? I don't have any conception of how that might smell. All I know is that I got this as a freebie imp from the lab, and I'm grateful, because roses and me click. We're best buds. I love roses so much I want to marry them. If the scent is predominantly rose, it will most probably predominantly work for me. in the imp: Mmm, yes. *satisfied, cat-like stretch* This is a rose alright. As roses go it is a fairly interesting one, a deep red rose, but not one of those velvety cheap kinds of roses that you can buy off the streetcorner. This is a giant rose, a growing rose, one that (were it cut) would cost dearly for a single stem. For me the rose chases away whatever other subtle floral scent this might have, but instead creates a kind of rose that is subtle and unique in its own right. wet: delicious. All rose, a glowing dewy gorgeous rose in full bloom. drydown: Wow... this is a crisp rose that has some surprisingly harsh edges. I can see why it's listed as gender neutral, although with roses I would think that would be almost impossible... this rose is serious. It is not fucking around with you. It will drive a thorn through your palm without any mercy whatsoever and will probably enjoy getting blood splattered on its petals. Honestly, this must be the narcissus talking, even though I still can't tease it out individually. As roses go, this doesn't have the playful juicy sweetness of Persephone or the remote garden feel of Rome (which I have not yet formally reviewed)... this is a savage cultivated rose, breed to be ruthlessly perfect in every way. verdict: yes. I really enjoy this. One of these days I'll have to do a rose showdown, however, just to see what comes up tops. post-conceived notion: I might try this on Dante after all. I am not confident it will work on him, but the temptation is irresistible now. A part of me worries that I am reading too much into the scents based on the names, but even when I try to be as objective as possible, all too many of the scents just seem to belong with their name, as a perfect fit. I have to admit I never thought that a rose could come off so perilously arrogant, but somehow this totally does.

pre-conceived notion: as I have said elsewhere, this Shakespearean line doesn't particularly appeal to me, but I got this as a freebie imp from the lab. Maybe they know something about me that I don't know? in the imp: okay, this reminds me of... *scratches head*...*snaps fingers* The Shadow! *pulls out imp for side-by-side comparison*. Yes, there is a distinct similarity. But Iago is darker, richer. This is not like a hobbit warren or a hope chest: this is some greasy warlord's hidden hunting cabin in the woods. I think the vetiver is what give me the citrusy polished-wood undertone that is similar to the lemon zest... er, verbana, from the Shadow fragrance. And I'm guessing it is the musk here that is reminding me of the "darkest patchouli" there. Remember Gaston from Disney's Beauty and the Beast? This is what he probably smells like: male and cologny and stinky. It's an attractive and simultaneously off-putting scent... perhaps too rough for me. wet: I tried this twice. I wanted to like this as a possible scent for Dante to try. However, both times it gave me a piercing headache. drydown: Ouch, ouch, ouch.... I had a hard time getting to sleep last night and it was all IAGO'S fault. verdict: probably a great scent for a certain kind of disreputable man. But, um, not for me. The headache cinches it, too... it's not for Dante either. post-conceived notion: an interesting blend, BPAL! I salute you! I am just sorry it makes me queasy.

pre-conceived notion: I ordered a 5ml of this based only on how awesome the description sounded to me. in the imp: A very pretty lavender which is brightened by the honeysuckle and lemon balm. The lemon gives this a subtly different feeling from Twilight, another BPAL scent that happened to be fairly successful for me. I continue to have mixed feelings about lavender, and even just putting this up to my nose, I get a hint of the headache that is to come. I have to close the imp immediately. wet: from previous tries, I noticed that this is utterly gorgeous for about two minutes. And then the headache hits. drydown: let's not talk about the headache. post-conceived notion: probably a lovely fragrance. But one which will never, ever work for me.

preconceived notion: All those ingredients sound inoffensive and yummy, no? in the imp: WHOA HAZELNUT. I have spent the past several hours coming back at this and sniffing it, and yep... each time the scent is powerfully and overwhelmingly hazelnut. For a while it reminded me of something, and I could not remember what... but now I've got it. Frangelico, an Italian liqueur that absolutely reeks of hazelnut. As an alcoholic beverage, it is very very nice. As a scent however... a blazing, overpowered scent from the bowels of hell... not so good. I am having a visceral reaction and that reaction is REJECTION. gingerly.... wet?: chocolate covered, perfumey hazelnut. I have died and gone to fragrance hell. This is so unbelievably nauseating. I actually think in need to scrub it off before I throw up. *scrubsscrubs* drydown: N/A. verdict: A WORLD OF NO. post-conceived notion: this was getting so much positive feedback, I had some really high hopes. BUT A FOODIE I APPARENTLY AM NOT. The cocoa and the pumpkin still seem like they'd be notes I'd like, but not in this mix. Not with such a rich, sickly hazelnut eviscerating me to the core. Like a pithed frog. Just... wow. No. Total rejection.

pre-conceived notion: when I got this imp, I'd forgotten entirely why I'd ordered it, or what the Tzadikim Nistarim was supposed to be. So all the various times I've tried it, it's basically become "that cocktail scent." Now, re-reading the description, I remember why I was so fascinated by this… there's a short story by Jonathan Carroll along these lines, about one of the blessed ones of God going absolutely insane and killing herself before her time, corrupted by her resentment and hatred. The concept behind this is so deliciously pre-flood… God in his most immature incarnation. I rather suspect that the various notes of this are going to be a bit lost on me, because I already know that I get one very, very strong impression from this scent that does not fit with any of the things mentioned… but anyway. On to my formal review! in the imp: This is a strong tropical, coconut-sweet fruit, immediately recognizable to me as pina colada (sans rum). It's a very refreshing, happy fragrance. The fruits are slushed together in a really yummy way. wet: pina colada to the max. drydown: No matter how I try this fragrance… tangling it in my hair, putting drops of it on a lightbulb and letting it warm up and inhabit my room, or (of course) through the old-fashioned method of swiping some onto my skin… wet or dry, this is 100% total pina colada. I don't get any spices, or olive scents (although I'm not sure what an olive fruit is supposed to smell like fresh, to be fair). I suspect that the spikenard, hyssop, and galangal are all code words for "coconut and pineapple." Interestingly, despite the strong pina colada association (I tend to think of pina colada as a cheap scent that is fitting only for really young girls or lushes), I am not at all turned off. There is an absolute freshness and authenticity to this that is very different from a standard pina colada mix (or even the various pina colada fragrances I've come across in my time). It smells good. It's a really playful, summery scent. Nothing sophisticated to it, but in overall mood it reminds me of Korres' Guava Body Butter (which is a fantastic product). This would really work well in a cruise setting, and reminds me of the Caribbean cruise I took last November, particularly when we were out at sea and I was sitting on the balcony of our room, looking out over the brilliant blue water and golden skies and reading my Robertson Davies. A great vacation scent. verdict: I'm going to use up the imp. Will probably only want to wear regularly during the summer months, however. post-conceived notion: fruits and incense make for an interesting blend. I wish that the frankincense were more prominent because I think that would give this depth… I have the feeling this would be a really great base blend for layering.

pre-conceived notion: I am as burdened with high expectations (and therefore as keen to like this) as I was with Scherezade. The K.D. Lang song "Hallelujah" makes reference to her ("Your faith was strong but you needed proof/ you saw her bathing on the roof/ her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you"), and as this is a favourite song of mine, I really want to like this scent bad. Badly. in the imp: Carnation seems to turn into a kind of clove in my nose, but here it's just the faintest hint of spice. Strongest by far is the scent of plum; this is a purple, ripe plum with a dusting of white powder on the skin. There is no kind of musk that I recognize in here, but that's quite alright because the plum is so juicy and alive that I can almost believe I recently just ate a plum, with the residue of the nectar dripping down my chin and making my fingers sticky (no plum worth eating is going to reach my mouth in a dainty fashion, I assure you). wet: more plum! You know, it occurs to me that this has got to be the perfect fruit to represent this mysteriously seductive old-testament woman. It's sweet and lush and tempting. King David watching her bathing on the roof from his palace tower and thinking unlawful thoughts in the silence of his own mind. drydown: This smells like a private garden of fruit-bearing trees, and reminds me somewhat of the flowers blooming in the courtyards and moat surrounding the city of Mdina in Malta. The feel of this is exquisitely Mediterranean and ripe, a faint gloss of spiritual incense and sexuality over the persistent plum note. There is something faintly honeyish and something even a tiny bit bitter in here. It's feminine, but unlike Scherezade I do not feel blown away by waves of inadequacy… this definitely evokes the sympathetic image of a woman, careless, naked and vulnerable, as she goes about her routine daily rituals with a totally unstudied air stripped of all artifice. verdict: I like this so so much. I think I want more… this really seems to fit into a unique scent niche unlike any of my previously tried BPAL fragrances, and the character it represents holds so much resonance for me. A definite win. post-conceived notion: I'm finding that scents that are inspired by things I care for do tend to work better for me, even if the notes included are not ones I would have previously thought myself drawn to.

pre-conceived notion: what, no lavender? in the imp: A juicy, shy, retiring floral. Something about this reminds me ever so slightly of Elmer's glue… piquant. wet: Really slathering this one on, because it comes off a little too faint to read otherwise. This is a beautiful pink floral bouquet, very sleepy and sweet. Something in here reminds me a bit of honeysuckle, but the predominant note is the phlox. Maybe that's because I actually know what phlox smells like… I used to grow it on my patio at my apartment in Royal Oak, and sometimes I'd sleep outside in the summer. Around the midnight to two o'clock AM hours I'd get a whiff of something that smelled almost exactly like this, and if I bothered to look the flowers would have unfurled from their day-time state. drydown: This is a very gentle, wonderful fragrance that lingers only for a short while… I'd say it's entirely gone in an hour. But it's worthwhile for something like this, which probably should be only used right before bedtime anyway… this reminds me of George Macdonalds' story, The Day Boy and Night Girl, and the scene where Nycteris makes friends with the garden under the "great lamp" (i.e., the moon, for she is a girl who was raised never to see daylight): [small]But the flowers! ah, the flowers! she was friends with them from the very first. What wonderful creatures they were! -- and so kind and beautiful -- always sending out such colors and such scents -- red scent, and white scent, and yellow scent -- for the other creatures! The one that was invisible and everywhere took such a quantity of their scents, and carried it away! yet they did not seem to mind. It was their talk, to show they were alive (...) [/small] verdict: This scent could very easily degrade itself into the category of a fussy perfume, but manages somehow to do the delicate florals it contains a real justice. I like it. I really like it. This could very well become my Chiroptera replacement when I run out; I am fairly sure that it beats out Twilight in a head-to-head contest as well. post-conceived notion: nighttime without lavender is a beautiful, beautiful thing.

preconceived notion: I'd been looking for a good berry scent, and this one was usually at the top of the list of recommended scents. Now, cranberry is not exactly my favourite berry... I much prefer raspberry... but the mixture of items here is beguiling. I never knew that the underworld had nymphs, either. But my feeling is that this scent might have more of the complexity that I was expecting out of Perspephone (which is a beautiful but ultimately un-nuanced scent). in the imp: the oil is a transparent mahogany red-brown color. I definitely smell the cranberry but it's a lot different from what I expected... although it is tart and red, it reminds me more of wild berries than anything else. I wonder if this is what Skadi smells like? It's a very wintery scent, reminding me of the winter berries I can find in some of the most sheltered areas of Cranbrook. Red and green growing things poking through sheets of ice-storm glass under a distant south-arcing sun and a high pale sky. wet: Absolutely lovely and scrumptuous. Spruce berry and cranberry and a richer faint scent of blackberries with the distant promise of spring. drydown: What a wonderful wintery scent. This is like a medieval Christmas feast wine, mulled with cranberries and spice. It's Freya and her tiger-drawn sleigh, a laughing goldenhaired goddess under an endless northern night, brilliant faintly colored stars in a mantle of deep midnight blue, the green phosphor of the aurora licking the sky. verdict: 5ml of this will certainly be on my next lab order. (I never plan on ordering 10ml bottles because I'd rather order more frequently to always have fresher oils available) post-conceived notion: Berry scents for the win!

pre-conceived notion: This scent is going to have to be pretty damn impressive to live up to the legendary allure of Scherezade. My expectations on this one are fairly grandiose... ya know, scents for gods are one thing, but for the ultimate extemporaneous bullshitter of all time? I demand greatness. in the imp: the colour here is really different and promising. It's a honey brown oil that looks like a cross between maple syrup and liquid smoke (one of those fancy cooking supplements you can learn about on NPR's The Splendid Table). Now, smelling... this is definitely one of those blends where I am going to have a hard time sussing out specific notes. I think the musk is probably the most predominant thing going on here, giving the oil a slinky, sensual overtone... body heat and clean sweat covered over with spices. This kind of reminds me of the sweet crust of a honey-baked ham, with smoke and sugar and the promise of lots of yummy flavour, the little flakes of baked brown sugar that just beg to be nibbled on. wet: a strong, assured fragrance. I think the saffron and spices are coming more to the fore. drydown: this has a smooth, golden caramel and almost brandy-like quality, but without any hint of alcohol. I really like the way it penetrates the skin and turns into a soft nutty-sweet scent. This scent is perfectly evocative of a fully realized but also fully mortal human woman at the height of her seductive powers. Honestly, it's too sexy for me... I think that this would suit a more glamourous person. Someone who gets her eyebrows waxed, her fingernails and toenails done, and who looks at home in Bvlgari jewelry and silk saris. Someone with striking coloring, an elegant figure, and imposing eyes. I know the limits of my powers and this scent is just a bit too impressive for me. I like it, but I feel like a little girl pretending to a higher station than she will ever be able to reach, playing princess in the backyard. verdict: not a good everyday fragrance, I'm afraid. But this will be good for those times when I trot out my red silk Chinese dress, put a ruby in my ear, and go out dancing in Manila. Or maybe when I just want to do all those things. post-conceived notion: BPAL can be a humbling experience as well as an uplifting one. This scent goes beyond me in so many ways. But, seeing as how I am not in fact the penultimate example of perfect femininity the world over, this is a justified sort of feeling.

pre-conceived notion: This was another free impie! I'm not a big fan of ghosts... they always turn into cartoons (read: Casper) in my head, which is not a romantic thing, but the components of this blend sound inviting enough. It's a nice thing to try around All Soul's Night, regardless. I will pretend that this scent is actually named "Graveyard at Midnight" and go from there. in the imp: This is SWEET and CLEAN and FLORAL. It is hard to tease out more specifics than this. Although, maybe there's the faintest hint of green banana peel and a creamy orange sherbet. If I had to descrive the floral notes, I'd name them as lotus, lily of the valley, and maybe a bit of wild bleeding hearts and red clover. Nothing, really, of what is listed in the lab description, but I think that the overall impression is true to their intent: a gentle, insideously sweet perfume that is both fleeting and pervasive. wet: creamy and green. The clover scent becomes most prominent. This is the rich wet bowl of flowers picked by a child and sitting in a glass bowl in the sunlight. I find this to be a much truer light floral than Amsterdam and far more appealing. drydown: I smell like Laura from Peter S. Beagle's "A Fine and Private Place." This is the perfect scent of triumph out of melancholy, and of a zest for life in the most meager of circumstances. verdict: this goes on my list of things that I really like. I don't know that I HAVE to have more immediately, but when I run out of the imp I'll be sad, so we'll see. post-conceived notion: This is so gloriously ephemeral and yet stubbornly persistant. Just like a ghost. What a well-made fragrance!

preconceived notion: this was a lab freebie with my most recent received order. I remember looking at the description and grring over the patchouli, but otherwise I had no strong feelings about it one way or another. in the imp: strong, implacable cedar. This smells like the inside of a hope chest or a certain kind of rustic cabin that people like to build on the Great Lakes. This is fresh-cut, unsanded wood boards ready for their day in the sun with Bob Vila... along with a faint whiff of lemon Pledge. Clean house ahoy. wet: The patchouli and sandlewood come out strongly against the cedar, which still is the predominant note, and there's this really unexpected undercurrent of tobacco leaves crisped in a fire... pipe tobacco mind you, the good stuff. Longbottom Leaf. Yes, this is a totally hobbit-under-the-hill scent, perfect for a late, late winter day in one of the classier hobbit establishments, like Bag End. A cozy warren of perfect contentment and homeyness; reading books and singing songs and eating mushrooms and dreaming of far-off, unobtainable lands over the western sea. This is an adventures home in the depths of the forest, a safe place in the center of myth... a frontier home in the wilderness, surrounded by trees and kind animals, far from the center of the kingdom. drydown: the cedar becomes more peppery and assertive, and then fades down over time into a really mellow, golden amber-tinged cologne. This is a remarkably soothing masculine scent. The patchouli is really behaving in this blend, supporting the wood notes and giving them a living green edge that is really complex and delightful. verdict: I will totally use the imp, and when I'm done I'll decide if I need more. post-conceived notion: So I don't hate patchouli ALL of the time. Also, I apparently have a warm affinity for hobbits. Who knew?

preconceived notion: You know, it occurs to me that with all the holy scents I've tried and liked through BPAL, there is a whole line that I would really love to see them do. Namely, Old Testament Jewish women of faith. Like Ruth, or Delilah. But for now, I'm going to throughly enjoy what the lab does have to offer: lotsa Marys and Jezebels. I am, after all, a total Roman Catholic slut. in the bottle: wow... this comes off like a honeyed lavender to me. These are not notes it really contains, but the mix gives me this impression. Maybe also a floral wine. Very sweet, strong, feminine, and bracing. Lovely. wet: Something about this reminds me of my grandmother and my great aunts from Malta. Although this is in some ways an old-fashioned, antique scent, it doesn't strike me as dowdy at all... this is how incredibly beautiful women smell like in their 50s and 60s. It's honey and hazelnuts, briar roses and cultivated wildflowers. This is a grandmother at the height of her powers; someone to adore and respect beyond measure. It's not how I feel about my maternal grandmother now that I feel when smelling this, but the way I felt about her when I was three. The sweet cuddlesome grandmother who loves you just the way you are, who is lively and fun, and who you just cannot imagine living without. drydown: far too personal to describe clearly. This scent brings me to tears; both of my grandmothers have been dead for a while now, but this is what it would be like if I found a chest containing old clothes belonging to one of them, with that distant vivid fragrance that reminds me so strongly of what I've lost. verdict: perhaps too nostalgic to wear. But definitely too beautiful to give away. I will save this for when I'm feeling pensive and needing of a good hug. postconceived notion: ♥

pre-conceived notion: None. This was a free imp from the lab. I am, however, quite hip to grief and loss, and am ready to give this a whirl. in the bottle: Possibly the first manly rose scent I have ever encountered. I'm going to guess that it's something to do with the calamus, because incense alone is not enough to explain it, and I have deep suspicions that the salt note will be pretty much undetected by me. Salt smells like granite to me, which is another way of saying that I doubt I will be able to pick it up over top of the rose. Some people have a talent for smelling rocks, I guess... for me, I have to lick a stone before I get any serious sense of what it might smell like. And the last time I was going around blithely licking stones for the experience of it all was probably around the age of, I dunno, five. wet: incense and rose. I can't get over how masculine this smells. The kind of boy this would best suit is the scholar-jock who ends up playing football for a prestigious school like Harvard. He might be there on a scholarship, and he very likely has a lot of amateur talent for the sport, but he has no illusions of "going pro," except for in the sense that "going pro" means becoming a lawyer. This is the frat boy who is also his class president in college, and who is well-liked by literally everyone. His look is meltingly young American, tall and with burnished-brown close cropped hair and a killer smile. He's got a muscular, dancer's body... probably has a great singing voice too... has likely starred in a school play or two in his lifetime. The stereotypical heterosexual metrosexual. drydown: a very true scent, sticking close to the roses and giving off an understated sexy quality. This is the scent of a gregarious ethical young gentleman who is both serious and carefree. verdict: so very delicious, and it comes off well on my skin. I am torn about this. I don't think I need any more, but it's a supremely wearable scent. Good for the days when I'm feeling more fluid about my sexuality. post-conceived notion: ... or for the days I want to pretend I'm a young JFK.

preconceived notion: I have to admit, if my mind thought of death's flowers as being grey, I wouldn't have been as interested in this. But thanks to Minus Morgal (in the Lord of the Rings books), I tend to think of ghostly flowers as having a eeries and vaguely phosphorescent glow. Like little firefly flowers. THAT is what I wanted this to smell like, and why I was so keen to get a hold of an imp. in the imp: surprisingly gorgeous, green and alive. It's a fine citrus, like the shavings of an orange peel attenuated by lots and lots of water. This is a messy floral, wildflowers trampled underfoot and surrounded by tall grasses. There is nothing hard or sharp in this fragrance at all. wet: a burst of wonderful life and green, and then... drydown: almost instantaneous conversion into a sweet scent that is naggingly familiar. I had to wear this a few times to figure out what it was, but when I had it I was stunned. This is almost exactly like an optomotrist's office I worked at after college. It was a somewhat unsavoury experience, because the drive to-and-from was over an hour and a half each way and because I only worked with a few people and I didn't really get on with any of them. I worked there only for two weeks before taking a much better job as a parks assistant at Camp Dearborn, but still the memory of that place is indelibly planted in my mind... the dark, unfriendly displays which held the frames, and this scent was whatever was used to clean the glasses. verdict: an unfair, personal "ugh." post-conceived notion: sometimes I find myself glad when a fragrance doesn't work, simply because that is one less thing that I might feel a tug towards purchasing more of. Asphodel going over to the swap pile becomes a very economical thing for me, so I'm relieved.

preconceived notion: This was a free imp with my first order, and it surprised me because this is a discontinued scent. After checking out the reviews, I've noticed that the lab has been including free imps of this in orders for several people... hard to say whether this is extra stock on the old version, or a new formulation under the old name. In either case, the name and description are very appealing, and I certainly would have wanted to try this anyway. in the imp: cornseed-coloured oil. This is a bright, well-blended floral. I think I am finally getting the hang of what is supposed to be the violet note. It's a pretty, almost fruity scent, and although it smells natural it is not like violets in nature, which have a much more fleeting quality to them. In the vial, I am starting to recognize wood notes as having a quality that is seductively like paint thinner (except much better smelling), which is probably simply the resins from a sap-derived oil. Overall impression is both frisky and sweet. wet: violets (okay, amazingly strong super violets) and clover. Not clover leaves, of course, but the flower... white straw-shaped petals with purple or reddish-brown tips, and a touch of sugar and bitterness. I can see using this scent almost exclusively while wearing filmy dresses, but this is not for a cocktail party outing... instead, this would be good for a ladies' tea while playing croquet. Well-heeled debutantes who are privileged beyond their years and afforded attention beyond their beauty would wear something like this, and feel proud doing it. This is supported self-confidence in a bottle. drydown: soft, gently fades away into something that is like the ghost of Pink Moon (without the fruity or honey-like touches). I see the girliness in this, but I wouldn't call it that of an ingenue. This scent really reminds me of young girls, even more than Lolita, without any of the debauched sexuality. The Hollywood association is misplaced, I think. verdict: I like this a lot. It's really quite lovely. I hope the lab does find a way to bring it back; it's a deserving blend. post-conceived notion: getting the hang of violets! This deserves a celebration.

preconceived notion: This scent has a really intriguing description, seemingly perfect for me. And yet, without specific notes I was hesitant to try it. When the lab sent this as a free imp with my last order, I was thrilled. in the imp: The colour is that of a weak oolong tea. And... mmm. The scent that hits my nose is a really gorgeous nutty scent, lightly and complexly spiced. There is almost no green in this at all: no florals, no woods, no "aquatics," no weeds. Effortlessly this calls to mind the idea of a wagon laden with exotic hand-weaved fabrics and rare dyes and ungents. I want to say that this smells "foody," but not in a vanilla or otherwise sweet way... it's like a wholesome multigrain fresh baked bread, cut into thick slices and very lightly toasted, with a slather of real butter. This is an amazingly healthful, calming scent... it's not strong, it's light and subtle, and it seems to me that this would be a really refreshing and comforting scent to have on hand if one were undergoing something kind of scary, like chemo- or radiation therapy. Somehow it is both homey and exotic, familiar and transporting. This is the first scent that I've tried that really seems to have a stong therapeutic potential. If I were to get sick and have to spend time in the hospital for any reason, I'd want to have this scent on standby. It doesn't travel, so it won't annoy other people... but inside its own space this scent seems to have the potential to drown out and modulate a lot of unpleasant things. wet: aaah. This is beautiful. Simply beautiful. This is how the goddess Demeter would smell. drydown: delicious almond and chessnut roasted and served in paper cones; this is a small village in a remote and lovely part of the world. My impression that this is a healthy and rejuvenating scent only strengthens as the scent lingers... which it does, for several hours. verdict: I must have more of this. Forever. post-conceived notion: I think this is a scent that would be adaptable and pleasant for an exceptionally wide range of people, perhaps because it is so complex and yet delicate... there is an underlying blandness that reminds me of Aveeno baths, and yet on top there is something beautiful and changeable and ultimately indefinable.

preconceived notion: Most of the scents in the Shakespeare line don't particularly appeal to me, including onces that belong to characters I enjoy (such as Ophelia). I don't know why; maybe it's just my ancient and inexplicable aversion to Elizabethean era ideas. And no, I'm not a big fan of Queen Gertrude either (except in her ability to annoy Hamlet, who I feel is a pretentious self-serving git). But no matter! I wanted to try this scent very badly. in the bottle: ooh, so sweet and pretty. But it also gives me an almost instant headache. WHY? wet: Arel was right... this is kind of like a rose, despite all descriptors to the contray... a wet, luscious yellow rose. Fortunately, I don't get so much of a headache when it is actually on my skin. Although this scent is richly floral and delicate, it is also quite assertive. I can't say that I am able to pick out the individual notes... and I certainly don't pick up the violet. Whatever spicy thing that Chrysanthemum does in Maiden is simply not coming out here, and instead I get a scent that reminds me oddly of Seraphim, except stripped of all the Aveda notes. It's simple and elegant, bold and yet classic. Pretty isn't the word for it... it's impressive. drydown: soft, drifting... a Secret Garden in a bottle. These are protected flowers that grow robustly in an enclosed space, cut off from wind and harsh weather and given plenty of access to sunlight. There is something British (but thankfully, not Elizabethean) in this, a formal reserved quality that reminds me of my grandmother (who was not British but who grew up in a British territory). verdict: yes. I like this a lot, and will use the imp up, despite the pouncing headache. post-conceived notion: I am not as good at picking out individual floral notes as I'd like to be. This must be remedied somehow.

preconceived notion: I admit it. I ordered this scent because of lj_anax's Völuspá. As beta reader for that fic I ended up reading and familiarizing myself with the verses of this poem. Here is the relevant verse for this scent: I know an ash tree, named Yggdrasil: Sparkling showers are shed on its leaves That drip dew, into the dales below, By Urd's well it waves evergreen, Stands over that still pool, Near it a bower whence now there come The Fate Maidens, first Urd, Skuld second, scorer of runes, Then Verdandi, third of the Norns: The laws that determine the lives of men They fixed forever and their fate sealed. My hope was to find a scent that might work for lj_anax, to remind him of the mood of that most excellent piece. in the imp: the oil is pale peach colour. And wow, it really smells like wood, with a similar minty astringence I found in Vinland. This is a much deeper kind of wood, however, like a felled tree that is decomposing into the earth. Without a doubt these are coniferous trees from a northern clime, hemlock and cedar, pine and spruce. These are not tame Christmas trees but old, twisted grey-brown hoary trees with the kind of personality that made people fear that trees could walk at night. Oak. The kind of oak that Merlin was imprisoned in. An old, cold tree with an alien, godlike heart. wet: This is a warm, brown, almost chocolatey loam, the kind that the dryads ate in Aslan's banquet at the end of Prince Caspian. It is rich earth turned over by worms and enriched by a thousand winters, studded with acorns and covered over in decomposing leaves. Very rich, very manly... and very sexy. drydown: Ooooh. This is what Lust would smell like. It is green and dirt and growing, fresh and yet old. Not human. Alive. Verdict: I love this so much. It is exactly what I expected, and a million times better. It doesn't quite suit my skin, but it's gorgeous nonetheless. A keeper. post-conceived notion: trying things based on an emotional connection I've created in my mind is hazardous when it comes to objectivity, but that's not something I'm particularly striving for in any case. I can honestly say this is a lovely, ancient scent that perfectly encapsulated the idea it intends to represent.

preconceived notion: This imp was ordered directly from the lab several months ago, purely on the strength of the description... who wouldn't want to smell like Canada? Especially a part of Canada within hailing distance of my precious P.E.I.? This blend seems to be full of very specific northern flora, and although I can only guess at what some of these things are, it sounds like a really gorgeous scent. And I do love the smell of bark and maple leaves. in the imp: The oil is clear and colorless, like ionized water. The scent is sharp, and not at all what I expected... it's a sweet and somehow smoky spearmint. It's really too sweet, to the point of being disturbingly cloying. I get a hint of that same preserved-cadaver scent that turned me off of Lush's Figs and Leaves soap (which honestly makes me think that the leaves are the culprit), and there is also something in here that reminds me of cinnamon. Ah... cinnamon. My nemesis. You make me wary. wet: wow... what an interesting change. Almost immediately I get a scent of something rugged and smoky, with the mint flattening out into a less sweet and less cloying version of the same. Perhaps this is the loganberry.... I cannot imagine wild roses smelling this way. Cactuses that are split open might smell like this, and it is weird that I find something of the desert in a scent that is intended to evoke the far north. It might not be that weird, though... the overall impression is of ice-cold rain pounding on a spring glade near the sea. That is a kind of harshness that the desert knows pretty well, of elements that threaten to flatten out life. drydown: this scent is so complex! The sweetness returns in the form of light florals, and the smokiness deepens into something with the flavour of smoked salmon served cold with capers. I think the mintiness in the beginning might have been there to evoke wind... now that the wind (and rain) have died down, what is left is a bountiful landscape for hungry trappers, with the promise of a rewarding meal and rest in a rough log cabin. This is totally a Little House in the Big Woods scent, and it makes me think of frontiers and settlers and everything that is still so shockingly wild and remote about most of North America. Verdict: This is really one blend I can appreciate for its complexity and even beauty without being particularly drawn to it. No more for me, and I think this imp is going off to Toffee, who lives about as far away from Vinland as the Afghanis do. post-conceived notion: I'm so glad I tried this, even though it is not for me. This is a scent worthy of Avonlea (which is, of course, what I secretly wanted it to be).

preconceived notion: none, in that this was a freebie imp from the lab. The above description might have made me hesitant... particularly the "gender neutral" part... but there's a lot of good stuff in here too that makes me curious. in the bottle: the oil is the colour of steeped tea, or of Pepsi with too much melted ice in it. I smell the juniper straight off now, but when I first sniffed this all I could pick out was something astringent and sharp. I've tried it many times since then, and my impression has morphed based on what I know will follow-- there is a thick warmth under this, but it peeks out in a very hesitant, almost hobbit-like manner... blink and its gone. This is what it smells like to be painting outdoors; a touch of turpentine and thick evergreen under a late May sun. And what you would be painting, of course, would be a portrait of your lover. wet: Holly in the snow, greenness and an almost unbearable youth. Warm like the hands of a man, and rich like a kiss that you don't want to break. drydown: this becomes... sweet? And almost honeyish? With a peppery tang of the juniper still sliding through the mix, this turns into something sublimely beautiful and nearly indescribable on my skin. This is the scent of hunger and appetite, of falling in love and almost immediately falling into regret, of feeling like there simply is not enough time or attention in this world to devote to what is most important, now that you can see it for the very first time. Fairly transcendental. I find myself slathering this on over and over again just to experience the change, and yet when it's there for a long time it continues to change and blend into something that is everything I want love to be. It's... a kind of honesty, I guess... sweetness in truth, and beauty in simple things. Gorgeous. Verdict: Amazing. Seriously. I want more of this. I will get more of this. post-conceived notion: what I know is that I know nothing... this scent arouses me and intrigues me and yet I cannot find in it any reason "why." Makes me think that there are a lot of scents out there that I've skipped over based on the description which merit a second look.