Alethia

Thoughts before testing: This sounds right up my alley, although I'm a little worried that the blood musk will have dragon's blood which typically doesn't work on my skin. Wet: Strong, lovely red patchouli and a hint of cacao. Dry down: The tobacco makes an appearance and mingles with the patch beautifully. The cacao stays in the background mostly, and I can smell the myrrh faintly. Dry: Still a lot of patchouli, but the myrrh is much stronger now and elevates the patch into a sexy, sexy scent. Final thoughts: I wish there was more musk and benzoin, but I'm willing to bet that they'll show up with a little aging. This is a dirty sexy scent and I'm so glad to have it in my collection! This is also Boy Approved as he's requested I wear this on our next date night. Verdict: Keeping!

Are you interested in anything from the Haus of Gloi yule update on November 3rd? Which products and which scents? No thank you. I'm really trying to limit my perfume buying and I can't have another perfume company to be obsessed with How do you feel about nail polish? If you like it, are there any brands or colors in which you are interested? LOVE. My nails are always painted (although I kept them bare for my interviews last week, which was bizarre looking to me). I love OPI the best, as I can get up to a week of wear with their polishes. I also love Essie, China Glaze and Revlon. I tend to stick to mostly reds, pinks, corals, taupes, nudes, and purples for colors. I love the way blues and greens look on other people, but I feel so weird wearing them. What about makeup? What brands do you prefer and which products would you most enjoy receiving? Yes to makeup! Within the last year I've started wearing more makeup in an effort to look a little more put-together and professional. My daily routine is foundation (Revlon's Colorstay Whipped is the best I've found so far), concealer (Bobbi Brown's corrector is a lifesaver for my dark purple circles), eyeshadow primer, 1-2 eyeshadows (I've fallen in love with MAC's neutral eyeshadows), mascara (Maybelline The Falsies), matte black eyeshadow as liner (MAC again), eyebrow powder (Bobbi Brown again), blush (I've been using MAC, but also really love the Nyx blushes) and lipstick (usually either MAC or Revlon). As far as brands, I love MAC, Bobbi Brown, Revlon, and Laura Mercier (she's out of my price range for the most part though), and would love to get eyeshadows (mattes or neutrals) or lipstick (pinks, "my lips but better" shades, and reds). Your feelings on Adagio teas: If you've never had anything from them, would you be open to trying them? If you HAVE had them and like them, name some favorites blends. I'm not a tea drinker, sorry! Do you like video games? Are there any you want to play? Do you have a large library? I'm also not a gamer Name three BPAL scents you have tried, but are dying to get more of. Black Lace (non-apple), Lyonesse, and Le Lethe. Have you ever tried anything from Paintbox Soapworks? Which products or scents would you prefer? I have, and to be honest I really don't like her products. Her soaps dry me out big time, and her scents aren't to my taste. Do you like/have space to garden? If so, what do you grow? I do, and I'm starting this spring! I hope to grow tomatoes, herbs, lettuce, and a metric ton of flowers Gift cards/vouchers - yay or nay? If you like them - which stores would you like one for? Love gift cards! Amazon, Sephora, MAC, Barnes and Noble, Target, Nordstroms, and Bed Bath and Beyond would be great! Seen anything lately that makes you go OH HOLY FUCK THAT'S AWESOME!!? I'm still madly in love with my Nook. For as long as I can remember, I've taken books with me when I go places and it was always so hard to decide which to take and what if I finished it while I was out?! The horror! So being able to take hundreds of books with me everywhere is absolutely mind-blowing to me. Name five small things you could use, but might not think to get for yourself? A cuticle oil pen, more round labels for my BPAL bottles, fridge magnets, an eyeglasses case, stickers for my laptop. Is there anything from a farmer's market you might like? I love canned goods, but those might be prohibitively expensive to ship. Do you have any upcoming away time I should be aware of, for shipping purposes? Nope! I'll be here the whole round! Would you like anything from Sock Dreams? Here is my wish list! I love Sock Dreams!

Hi Witch Dear! Thank you so much for the ebooks! I'm reading the first Harry Dresden one now and am loving it! Do you have any upcoming away time I should be aware of, for shipping purposes? Nope! I'll be here the whole round! Would you like anything from Sock Dreams? I love Sock Dreams! I wear primarily skirts and dresses and in the winter I just add a pair of thigh highs underneath to keep my legs warm. I want to love tights, but I have some belly fat and tights make an unsightly belly roll So I stick to thigh highs, and Sock Dreams has an excellent selection! My wish list is here! Is there anything in the Miskatonic Valley Philharmonic update that you're interested in? Surprisingly, no. Death notes abound in this update, so my wallet is safe for the (hopefully soon) upcoming Carnaval and Yules! Is there anything my mom's etsy shop that you're interested in? Super cute stuff, but none of it is really my taste

Thoughts before testing: I've never tried a 13 before because I don't like chocolate in my perfume. But this was released on my birthday last year, and even though I initially passed I immediately regretted it. My lovely mother gifted me with a bottle this Monday, so here we are! I'm not really expecting this to work due to the cacao and the long list of notes (the BPALs that work best on me are the ones with shorter note lists), but let's see what happens! Wet: Strong chocolate and dragon's blood resin; it's like being in The Heart of the Dragon (a local metaphysical shop where they burn DBR incense) and eating a really good strong dark chocolate bar. Quite lovely actually. Dry down: The patchouli and amber make more of an appearance and it changes from the foody wet stage to a really sophisticated, dark, smooth scent. I'm really surprised at how much I like the cacao here. Dry: This dries down to a really lovely, smooth scent. The cacao is completely in the background after about 90 minutes and I get a strong smooth vanilla mixed with the DBR (which is surprisingly amazing here) and just a touch of honey with a lovely backing of resins. Smooth, dark, and absolutely beautiful. Final thoughts: I never thought I would like a blend with chocolate/cacao, but this is wonderful. It's complex and sticks close to my skin. This will definitely be getting a lot of love from me this fall/winter! Verdict: Keeping

Are you okay with semi-spicy foods right now? I'm thinking like curry or chipotle? If you were to choose a chili powder would you go Hot, Medium, or Mild? Medium spicy is about all I can handle (I'm a wimp!), and definitely no curry for me please! If you were this mystery witch's witchee, would you be interested in Spoonfudge (http://www.spoonfudge.com/) or any other such "ordered online" sweet? Ooh. Spoonfugde looks amazing and now I feel like a glutton because there are like 10 flavors I want to try The Caramellow, Ginger Pear, Peaches and Champagne, Salted Caramel, Chocolate Banana, Butter, Coconut Lime, Champagne and Roses, and Root Beer all look fabulous Also - Double checking everyone's baked goods status. Home-made baked goods or other food stuffs OK? Yes, as long as they're gluten and nut free please! Is there anything you'd like from Lush, witchee? No thank you If you like earrings, what kind? Dangly earrings, hoops, studs - what kind do you like? How long do you like your necklaces? Or would you prefer to just get a pendent, so you can size the chain yourself? I love, love, love stud earrings. They're my favorite! I also need a pair of plain hoop earrings as one of my last pair mysteriously disappeared (the cat likes to cart off my jewelry). And I like my necklaces fairly average length, 18-20 inches or so: I have a rather large bosom, and anything too long looks odd to my eyes. If I were your witch and were to paint you something, what would you absolutely love, what would you feel ambivalent toward, and what would you not like to see or receive? I would love anything you want to paint me, Witch Dear! I love moonscapes and have been looking for a painting or picture of a moon shining on the sea. Are there any craft project/s you are working on now that you need supplies for? Or rather, is there a craft project you've been wanting to do but need stuff to start? I want to start lace crocheting desperately! Either a pattern or yarn/needles would be lovely! I also have been wanting to get into knitting, so anything in that realm would much appreciated. What do you think of hair sticks? Would you like a set? I love the look of them, but honestly my hair is so thick and heavy and long that hair sticks (and really most hair accessories) fall out. Is there anything you'd really like to have/try from Trader Joe's, or any other popular-but-not-available-everywhere store? I used to live near a Trader Joe's, and their chocolate covered pomegranate seeds and cookie butter are my kryptonite. I would love to find these in my box! Would you rather have something fun or practical? Both Witchee, would you like a set of Cards Against Humanity? Desperately! I've been eyeing it for weeks, but with Switch Witch and the holidays coming up I've been told not to purchase anything for myself (I tend to be a horrible gift-receiver in that if I see something I want, I'll usually just buy it instead of waiting and putting it on my Christmas/birthday/what-have-you list).

Table Games - do you play them? If so, which ones, and which versions, and are there any goodies you might like related to them? Yes! I got into Munchkin this summer and love it! I only have the original, so any expansion pack would be great. I'd also love to have Cards Against Humanity, as my family is amazing and filthy-minded and hilariously politically incorrect and this game would be fantastic to play with them. Witchee, are you in need of any particular spices? Sure! I cook a lot and bake a fair amount, and so anything interesting you want to send my way would be great! If you were my witchee, would you be interested in anything from my store or something similar? (Nut-made by LisaNut on etsy.) No thank you I recently started crocheting and so I'm good on knitted things! Say your witch works at a used bookstore. what kinds of things might you like from there? cool old pulp fiction paperbacks? tarot cards? (we have those.) a dr who pen? books about haunted cemeteries in seattle? you may have all of these things:) oh, and also movies. and cds. Tarot cards!!! And pretty much anything from a used bookstore Witchee, the Haunt Halloween update goes live tomorrow! When it does, please post right away and let me know your dreams and wishes! I've always wanted to try Winchester; Batik, Empire, Gloaming, Lovehound, and Roma perfumes sound amazing. The lip lusts in Bettie and Sweet Cream also sound fantastic. I've got some canned goods put up -- mostly jams/jellies, some apple butter, some applesauce. Want some? If so, what kind(s)? Yes! All of your canned goods are belonging to me How feel you about lip balms, glosses, and lipsticks? Any particular favourite scents/flavours? Any favourite makers/sellers? Love lip balms (nut free please!), and adore lipsticks. I'm not a gloss fan because I have very long hair and live in a very windy area so I wind up with lip gloss in my hair and smeared across my face I have the best luck with Revlon and MAC lipstick, but will gladly try any lipstick you send my way, Witch! I love pinks and reds and am always on the lookout for a good nude! Since wish list links never seem to work in forum mail, won't you please re-post your wish list links here, so they're readable? All my wish lists are linked in my signature under "Wish List". If you click on it, it'll bring you to my BPAL wish list, and then at the bottom of that post are my Amazon, Pintrest, etc lists!

Thoughts before testing: Everything listed here is a win except for the white musk. Pink pepper especially is fantastic on my skin, so I'm excited to see how this turns out! Wet: Strong juicy apricot with a hint of honeycomb. It's sweet but not tooth-achingly so and is quite pretty. Dry down: The apricot all but disappears and leaves a lovely orange blossom drenched honeycomb with a nice kick from the pink pepper. It's really lush and pretty. Dry: It settles down into a sweet floral honeycomb with a hint of pepper. Final thoughts: This is really pretty, but I don't know if it's bottle-worthy. It's maybe just a little too sweet for me. But if you're a fan of pepper or honeycomb, definitely give Pandy a try! Verdict: Pass

Thoughts before testing: I've heard such great things about The Girl that I had to test it when a decant came my way. It doesn't sound like something I'd like, and the star jasmine worries me as it tends to go very strongly of cat pee on my skin. Wet: Stunning. It's silvery and beautiful. Dry down: And the jasmine turns everything into a stinky mess. Dry: Nothing but cat urine Verdict: Pass

Thoughts before testing: I love lavender and benzoin, but oudh can go wonky on my skin so I'm curious to see how this turns out. Wet: Whoof, that is some STRONG lavender. It's very medicinal and sharp and kind of stings my nose when I sniff it. Dry down: Still nothing but strong lavender, although the sharpness disappears after about 10 minutes. This is exceptionally masculine to my nose. Dry: Pretty much a single note lavender on my skin, but I can imagine that this is lovely on a man. Final thoughts: I have other lavenders I like better, and this is far too masculine for this girly girl to pull off. Verdict: Off to the sales!

Hello Witch Dear! I'm so excited to meet you, you have no idea! I'll be keeping all the questions from the main thread here so that I can be as verbose as I want without feeling like I'm boring people If there's anything extra that you want to know, please feel free to email me! Are you a fan of anything that you would like a tshirt of? If so, what size would you wear? I love The Hobbit and Doctor Who most of all, and I would love shirts of either! I wear an XL or a XXL Do you love, hate, or are indifferent to.....pumpkin flavored things? Mostly indifferent. Most pumpkin-flavored things tend to be very heavy on the spice or too sweet, so I skip these and get all the chocolate instead . Dear future Witchee, did you get anything from the Beaver Moon or Weenie updates that I need to know about, so I don't accidentally repeat anything? Nope! The Lunacies very rarely work on me, and neither of these sounded good enough to me to drop the cash on them. And the single note also didn't call to me, so I'm good. Name some DVDs you wouldnt mind receiving, or are they on an Amazon list? The new edition of Little Mermaid (Disney)! I'm collecting all the re-releases of the Disney classics. I'd also love to have a copy of your favorite movie, Witch Dear! Do you want anything from Starbucks or Teavana? Tea, tea makers, rock sugar, tea tins, coffee, via, via refreshers, mugs, tazo tea...? No thanks! I'm not a tea or coffee person, but I do have an insane love of hot chocolate and apple cider! Halloween Candy, Decorations, and Costume supplies - What kind are your idea of FUN and which ones would you thoroughly dislike? I love candy corn, Kit Kats, Milky Ways, and vanilla tootsie rolls. I love fun, slightly spooky, kitschy decorations. I don't dress up, so costume supplies would be wasted on me. As for dislikes: no candy with nuts or peanut butter, and also no scary or gory decorations. What traditions to you partake in for Halloween? Knowing what you do our how you decorate or how you celebrate? Pumpkin carving! This year I'm going to try to carve at least three pumpkins. We used to hand out candy, but there aren't a lot of trick-or-treaters in our neighborhood, so we stopped doing that a few years ago. And we also kit the house out in some pretty awesome decorations Hey, Witchee, it's getting cold. Socks, scarves, hats or arm warmers? Yes to all but the arm warmers! I love all colors, but I do ask that anything you send me be soft and not scratchy please

Thoughts before testing: When I saw the note list for this, I immediately put a bottle in my cart. This sounds like it was made for me. Wet: Delicate floral mish-mash (most strongly of tuberose, but really too well blended to pick anything else out) and a fantastic, amazing patchouli. It's not rooty or earthy or "dirty hippy" it's sophisticated and refined. Dry down: Still that fabulous patchouli and beautiful florals. This smells beautiful and sophisticated and like Serious Perfume. Dry: I definitely get the Flowerbomb comparisons, but this is so,so much better. This is one of the best patchoulis I've ever smelled, and the florals are made of nothing but win. Final thoughts: You know how in the Switch Witch questionnaire, one of the question is always "If Beth created a perfume for you, what would the notes be?" Butterflies, Flowers, and Jewels attending is my answer. It's everything I've ever wanted in a perfume. When I wear this, it feels like the very best version of me. This is pretty and feminine, but not girly or saccharine, and smells expensive and refined. This is embarrassingly gushy, but I'm so in love with this it's not even funny. I can count on one hand the number of blends I have backups of, and this one just made the list. I'll be getting at least two more bottles before they go down next month. Verdict: Hoarding

Thoughts before testing: After the stunning beauty of Our Lady of Pain's lavender last spring, I've been on the lookout for more lavender heavy blends. But I also love the rest of the notes listed here, so I have high hopes for this one! Wet: Beautiful sweet rich lavender with a strong dollop of beautiful, sweet vanilla. Stunning. Dry down: That amazing lavender is still going strong, and the honey starts making an appearance. It's a creamy, vanilla-drenched honey. This is really incredibly pretty. Dry: After several hours, the lavender eventually bows out and I'm left with a vanilla/honey musk that's really pretty. Final thoughts: I was hoping for a little more Dorian, but I'm in no way disappointed. This is so pretty, and I can't wait to see how it ages! Verdict: Keeping the bottle.

Thoughts before testing: Lunacies almost never work on me, but I just had to try this one! I love rose and I love the Lab's leaf note, so I'm hoping for a win here! Wet: Juicy deep roses and a lot of fresh leaves. This honestly smells exactly like my mother's rosebushes' final bloom. Beautiful! Dry down: The rose starts to turn slightly powdery, but it's just barely. The leaves are still beautiful and crisp. Dry: The leaves fade away and I'm left with a beautiful rose note. Final thoughts: I really like this, but I have other rose blends I love more (namely Peacock Queen). If you're a rose freak, this is for you. Verdict: Keeping for now.

Thoughts before testing: Cedar almost never works for me, and white musk is extremely hit or miss. But I love sage and leather, and vanilla and carnation are two of my forever win notes. Let's see where this goes! Wet: Woody sage with a strong backbone of beautifully soft leather. This smells amazing. The leather is fantastic and not harsh at all. Dry down: The cedar backs off, and the carnation takes it's place, making the sage beautifully spicy. The leather is still the star of the show and is probably the best leather I've ever smelled. Dry: This is a fantastically smooth, soft leather. After about an hour and a half, I'm left with just a slightly spiced leather with just the barest hint of a breathy white musk. Final thoughts: This is amazing. I'm just sad it took me so long to try this! It doesn't last very long (after 4 hours I needed to reapply) but I don't mind. If you're a fan of leather at all, this needs to be on your to-try list. Verdict: Bottle purchase!

Thoughts before testing: I see a lot of love for black coconut mentioned here on the forums, but I've never sniffed anything with it before so I'm excited to try Goblin. Benzoin always reads as a strong vanilla on my skin, so I'm curious to see how this stacks up to Banshee Beat (my forever love). Wet: Strong sweet patchouli. It's slightly dirty and rooty, but mostly sweet and smooth. The benzoin backing is really lovely and is reading (as per usual) as strong vanilla to my nose. Dry down: The coconut comes through about 15 minutes into the dry down. I've never smelled black coconut before, and it is FABULOUS. It's not a tropical-drink coconut, it's sexy and hippie-ish. The patch and benzoin are reminding me of a less-sweet Banshee Beat. Dry: The coconut fades after about an hour, leaving behind the vanilla-sweetness of the benzoin and smooth pretty patch. Beautiful. Final thoughts: This is very reminiscent of Banshee Beat on my skin, with the lovely addition of the fabulous black coconut. But since the coconut doesn't stick around for the whole time (Goblin lasted nearly 6 hours), I don't know that this is different enough to warrant having both in my collection. I think I need to test this against BB to see which one I like best. Verdict: This needs a death match with Banshee Beat! Verdict to follow

Thoughts before testing: Every note listed here works really well on my skin, so I have high hopes for a big GC win today! Wet: Blech This is sickly sweet candied peach on my skin. It turned my stomach and I nearly washed it off! Dry down: After a horrific wet stage, the peach blossom comes shining through and saves me from having to scrub this off. This is a really pretty and realistic peach blossom (I live in peach country and peach blossom is one of my favorite smells of springtime) and it's just lovely. Dry: This completely vanishes from my skin after half an hour. I can't smell it, no one around me can smell it. It's bizarre. Final thoughts: Between the vanishing act and the horrendous wet stage, Tamora is definitely not a keeper. Verdict: Off to the sales!

Thoughts before testing: Everything here is right up my alley. The only potential problem could be the amber, which very often turns to pure powder on my skin. Wet: Spicy sandalwood and amber with just a hint of pretty floral. Very reminiscent of House of Unquenchable Fire atmo. I get the same glittering amber that I adore in the atmo spray and the same overall expensive feeling. Dry down: Spicy tiare on a bed of smooth sandalwood. Still reminding me of HoUF, still beautiful. Dry: About an hour in, this takes a sharp turn into powder territory and stays that way for hours. Damn. Final thoughts: I'm disappointed but not too much. Until the powder stage it's nearly a dead ringer for House of Unquenchable Fire, which I love to pieces. So at least I still have that! Verdict: Off to the sales!

Thoughts before testing: I've never tried a perfume with watermelon before, so when an imp of this came my way I had to try it! Wet: Watermelon bubble gum, the super sugary stuff that makes your teeth ache. Dry down: What a morpher! The sweet pea comes to the fore and is grounded by the sandalwood and pale woods, leaving only a breath of the watermelon. This is really nice. I love sweet pea, and the woods are keeping it from being too sweet. It's a pretty woodsy floral that reminds me of late spring mornings. Dry: The lilac musk starts to edge out the sweet pea around two hours in, and the woods become slightly more dominant. It winds up being a musky woodsy scent with a hint of floral on my skin. This is quite beautiful and lasts for hours. Final thoughts: I'm so glad I tested this. It's very different from anything I currently have and it's just beautiful. I'm not sure if it's worthy of being upgraded to a bottle however. I love Aeval for my sweet pea needs, so I'll need to try this one a few more times before committing to a bottle. Verdict: Keeping the imp, possible bottle.

Thoughts before testing: I love red musk, but it doesn't always love me. It usually amps to the exclusion of all other notes (Lips Full of Lust and Laughter and Le Lethe being the only two exceptions), but rose and amber are lovely on my skin. I'm interested to see what this does! Wet: Pretty, fresh roses mixed with amber. No red musk at this stage. Dry down: And the red musk comes in and stomps all over everything. No more roses, no more amber. The red musk here is really pretty. It's not as full bodied as what I get in Le Lethe or as creamy as LFoLaL, but pretty nonetheless. Dry: After about two hours, the red musk softens a little and allows the amber to peek through just a tad. It remains a pretty, sensual musk and amber combination for hours. Final thoughts: This is pretty but I like the red musk in LFoLaL and Le Lethe more. Verdict: Keeping the imp, but not upgrading to a bottle.

When I read the Dragon Con exclusive list, this was the one I had to have. The hair glosses do fabulous things to my hair and being able to smell like peachy incensey goodness is right up my alley! I've been using this hair gloss exclusively for the past two weeks because it's just that good. I get no frankincense but a lot of fabulous light champaca (definitely not head shop-y) and the most fabulous sweet peach. The peach sweetens up the champaca and is truly a thing of beauty. This gloss also lasts a ridiculously long time in my hair. I have incredibly thick hair that's nearly to my waist and the gloss hangs around all day. When I wash my hair, it blooms in the steam of the shower and perfumes the whole bathroom (my sister walked in after I was finished and went "Woah, what are you using and can I have some?!"). And I can even still smell the gloss after I've washed my hair. Long story short: if you have the opportunity to pick up a bottle, do it. This stuff is divine.

Thoughts before testing: I don't believe I've ever smelled chrysanthemum or marigold in a perfume before, but everything else here are good notes for me. I'm excited to see what this smells like! Wet: Spicy sweet floral! I can't really pick anything out, but it's beautiful. Dry down: It does a pretty dramatic morph into a fabulously smoky amber and cinnamon incense that has a strong dash of vanilla and just a hint of floral. It's rich and smoky and lovely. Dry: This stays true to the amber incense but loses a little of the cinnamon after several hours. Final thoughts: This is lovely and beautiful but I'm trying to be pickier with what gets to stay in my BPAL box. If the box was bigger, it would be a keeper but I have so many floral-incense blends and this one doesn't wow me enough to get a place. Verdict: Passing.

Thoughts before testing: I absolutely adored the Our Lady of Pain update. I waffled on getting a bottle of this because red musk nearly always amps to the exclusion of other notes, but when my mother offered me her bottle for testing I just had to try it! Wet: It smells like powdered grape Kool Aid Very distinctive, but definitely not what I was hoping for! Thankfully after five or so minutes, it smooths out into one of the prettiest red musks I've ever smelled. Dry down: The honey keeps the red musk from amping on me like it usually does and turns it slightly creamy. It's almost too sweet for me. Maybe not though because I keep lifting my hand to my nose, lol! The honey is really pretty, and unique. Dry: Beautiful creamy sweet musk. So pretty! Final thoughts: Red musk can be problematic for me, but this is to die for beautiful. I have one other red musk heavy blend in my arsenal (the incomparable Le Lethe) but this is so different that I need a bottle. I'm a little disappointed in the lack of tangerine or mint, but the musk is so pretty I can't mind too much! Verdict: Hunting for a bottle!

Thoughts before testing: Nearly everything listed here does good things on my skin, so I'm excited to try this one out! Wet: A strong blast of patchouli and musk (maybe black? It doesn't smell the way red usually smells on me) to the exclusion of everything else. Dry down: Whoa. Crowley turned into pure MAN on my skin. Seriously. This is an exact replica of how my last boyfriend smells. It's lovely and sexy (a lot of musk, mahogany, patchouli and leather) but I don't know if I can pull this off. Dry: If I close my eyes, I would swear I had my nose pressed against Jamie's neck. He always smelled magnificent and drop dead sexy. This is one of the sexiest perfumes I've ever smelled, but the scent association just kills it for me. Final thoughts: To die for, but too masculine for this feminine girly-girl. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be mooning over photos of old boyfriends. Verdict: Off to the sales!

Thoughts before testing: I love the released version of Chimera, and after reading the reviews here I had to track a bottle down! Wet: Strong, woody note that almost smells like patchouli (but unlike any patch I've ever smelled). Dry down: Ah, there's the sweetness. The woody note has calmed down considerably, and it smells just like a sweeter, creamier Snake Oil on me. Dry: This dries to Snake Oil with a heavy dollop of cream and sugar. LOVE. Final thoughts: This is just beautiful! Snake Oil has been in my top ten perfumes (regardless of company) since I tried it last summer, and this is a perfect variation for me. I love the extra sweetness and creaminess, plus it lasts for hours on my skin. Verdict: Hoarding

Thoughts before testing: I absolutely adore BPAL's vanilla blends, so testing this was a no brainer! Wet: The vanilla is sweet but also strangely astringent? It stung my nose when I sniffed it. Dry down: Beautiful vanilla-musk scent. This smells kind of like Antique Lace with an extra shot of something. Maybe amber? I see sassafrass listed in other reviews, but I don't have a lot of experience with it. It could be. Sweet but definitely not foody. Dry: This takes an extreme turn into powder territory after a few hours. It's still a soft vanilla musk, but it's not as full-bodied. It definitely feels faded to me at this point. Final thoughts: The dry down was stunning, but the wet and dry phases make this a fail for me. Verdict: Not for me.