Ghost of a Rose

Discontinued Category: Mad Tea Party With three of my fave scents (gardenia, lavender, pear), this sounds promising. In the imp: clear amber color oil. The fragrance is sickeningly-sweet and very fruity. The pear and gardenia overpower everything else. Ugh. Wet on my skin: There is a hint of incense in the throw, but up close it is the same ultra-sweet smell as in the imp, with an added sharp woodiness. At 10 minutes: The lavender note develops within minutes, which goes a long way to counteract the excessive sweetness. I like it much better now. After a few more minutes, a faint undertone of woodiness kicks in, and the incense begins to strengthen. By the 10-minute mark it is a lovely and far more complex blend of gardenia, lavender, and incense. The pear has already vanished. At 20 minutes: Now a softer, pretty scent of powdery gardenia with some depth from the wood and a trace of spiciness from the incense or resin. At 30 minutes: Mostly a beautiful soft gardenia, although the wood, incense, and resin are lurking in the background if you know to look for them. At 1 hour: Gentle gardenia and warm resin. At 2 hours: Faint. Mostly resin with a little gardenia. At 3 hours: Barely a trace remains. Verdict: I'm glad that I gave this a try instead of rejecting it after that initial cloyingly sweet whiff from the imp. This gardenia-based blend turned out to be one of my favorite perfumes! I'm bummed that I didn't buy a bottle before it went out of production. Wear it in a scent locket if you want the pear note to last, but I vastly prefer it after drydown on my skin. My rating: 5 stars

Mmm, I love this one! Warm and spicy, but not in a foody way (I don't like foody scents on me or my linens.). This is more like incenses mingled with spices - exactly what I'd expect a bazaar in Morocco or India to smell like. It gives my room a lovely incense-y fragrance without the stale-smoke aftermath that you get with real incense. The various notes blend so beautifully that it is difficult to pick out individual scents, but I think I can detect sandalwood (the incense aspect) and that the spicy aspect is coming from the ginger, peppercorn, and cardamom. My rating: 5 stars Later ETA: I always write my review before reading other peoples' so that I won't be influenced by the opinions of others. After reading the other reviews, I was amused to see that ianastar had written a sentence that said almost exactly the same thing as one of mine!

In the imp: Mostly incense, with undertones of fruit and rose. On me, wet: Pretty much the same - primarily an incense perfume. But with a tiny bit of fruitiness and floral, which now is a blend of both the lilac and the rose. After 10 minutes: First the plum and then the florals are coming out more strongly, but the incense still dominates. After 30 minutes: The throw is of spicy plum, with the spice note coming from the frankincense. Sniffing my wrist up close I can smell the lovely florals, with lilac the stronger and rose in the background. After 2 hours: Still mostly incense, although now the myrrh is now at least equal to the frankincense. There's still a trace of fruit, but the florals are mostly gone, lingering only as a faint powdery undertone. After 3 hours: A subtle spicy fragrance of frankincense. Verdict: I would like this even more if the frankincense and myrrh were less strong, to allow the plum and florals more of a presence. But I do like it a lot. It does impart a sense of "purpleness." It would be good for the office, since it is not ultra-feminine. Just don't apply too much, as the incenses are pretty strong. My rating: 4 stars

In the imp: A very complex scent, in which it is difficult to identify individual notes. I do get woodiness and vetiver especially, then florals, and a touch of citrus. On me, wet: Again, the woodiness and vetiver is strongest, but now I get the lavender next, then citrus, with the florals almost equal to the citrus. There is a sweetness to it which nicely balances the earthy wood and vetiver. After 10 minutes: It is losing some of the sweetness and the freshness of the citrus. The patchouli has come into play, but subtly blended with the sandalwood, musk, and vetiver. There's a musty note to it now that does create more of a death-like mood. The lavender is more prominent than before. I don't pick up any mint at all, which to me is a good thing. After 20 minutes: The mustiness has increased. It reminds me of cut flowers that are wilted and past their prime - very appropriate to the concept. I do get just a little mint now, but it is very subtle and well blended with the lavender so that the note is a slightly sharp ozone rather than candy. The sandalwood, musk, and vetiver are still the strongest notes. After 30 minutes: The floral lily note has faded away, making this now more of an ozone-y masculine scent. The wood and earth notes give it depth, and there is a hint of warm spiciness - probably from the geranium. The mustiness is still quite apparent. I'm thinking that may originate from the geranium as well as from the vetiver. After 1 hour: The ozone sharpness lingers, like in a men's cologne. But the sandalwood and musk notes add some lovely softness, warmth, and depth. The mustiness is gone now, as is the earthiness of the vetiver. The bit of spiciness still remains. After 1 1/2 hours: The ozone note is now leaning towards lavender. After 2 hours: Weaker, but otherwise pretty much the same as at 1 hour. The more distinct note of lavender that I noticed half an hour ago has now faded back into the overall blend. After 3 hours: Still there. Less woody now, more of a fresh clean scent. After 4 hours: Only a trace of the scent remains. Verdict: Nice enough, but not really me. I see it as more of a guy's scent. I'll keep the imp and use it when I feel like wearing something different, but I won't need a bottle. My rating: 3 stars

Daemonorops is a rattan palm from Asia; one kind of Dragon's Blood Resin is made from the fruit. The cinnabar is a bit of a mystery, as the word can refer to several different things (none of which I'm familiar with.) At first, I pick up mostly incense, wood, and spice (something clove-like but milder.) There's also a hint of vanilla and a bit of an aquatic note (again mild, not sharp or piercing as such notes can often be.) This is a very smooth blend, without any notes that stand out in particular. That makes it hard to characterize - I'd say it falls into the "incensey" category, but even the incense is not especially prominent. It is a unique but quiet blend that I think would be pleasant and non-intrusive to almost anyone, and in any setting. I don't get any whiff of chemicals that would make me think "laboratory", alchemical or otherwise. But that is a good thing - who'd want their home or office to smell like chemicals? After a few minutes, the geranium comes out, with its characteristic pungent, spicy, slightly bitter note. But here, it is toned down like all the other notes. There's just enough to notice it, not enough to be actually pungent. To me, it just smells like plain geranium - no trace of rose or any other floral-type note. But then, I thought the same thing about a rose geranium plant I used to have, so the note does strike me as authentic. Once dried on the pillowcases, an ozone-y note appears that imparts aspects of coolness, men's cologne, or - yes, perhaps a chemistry lab (only the pleasant-smelling chemicals!) This blend is not as long-lasting as some of the other Atmospheric Sprays, and when sprayed on my sheets and pillows was gone after 6 hours. But that's long enough. Later, when I sniffed the sprayer top of the empty goblin, I did notice some rose and other florals, which made me like this even more. And even then, it wasn't heavily floral, but nicely balanced with the other notes. Interesting, and lovely! Verdict: An excellent choice for an all-purpose room freshener in situations where there will be people who have varied and/or unknown tastes. It would be nice to have a full bottle. But for an incense/spice blend, I like Exotic Bazaar even better - it stays warm and does not remind me of men's cologne. This would be a great alternative for a man or during hot weather. My rating: 4 stars

Dried roses, rose leaf, Spanish moss, oakmoss and deep brown earth. In the imp: Oil is clear and a medium-bright pinkish yellow in color. Just for the first second I could smell a little rose, then it became all rich, fresh, potting soil. On me, wet: On me the rose is slightly more noticeable, and it is indeed a dry rose, without the strength of a fresh rose. The earth dominates it, as does a secondary herbal green note - the moss, no doubt. This is a perfect realization of the concept. After 10 minutes: The rose has faded even more into the background. After 20 minutes: The rose is virtually gone. The earth and moss notes remain the same, with the earth note taking center stage. After 30 minutes: Now the herbal green note has become equal to the earth note and they are in a nice balance. After 1 hour: Same as above, now mild and delicate. After 2 hours: No further change in the fragrance, but now faint. After 3 hours: Almost completely gone. Verdict: Earthy, green, fresh and cool, this is a great scent for hot weather. The scent stays quite consistent, with the changes I've mentioned being very subtle. The rose is barely there - I would have preferred more, and I know I would really love this layered with a touch of something like Rose Red. That would probably smell very much like The Queen's Croquet Ground (BPTP Atmospheric Spray), which makes me swoon with ecstasy. My rating: 4 stars (Edited to correct a typo)

Galen's Kyphi is: Raisins, wine, honey, asphaltum, bdellium, camel grass, sweet flag, cyperus tuber, saffron, spikenard, aspalathos, cardamom, and cassia. Abramelin: an Egyptian mage. There are many different recipes for the incense. Dominated by a balsamic, vanilla-like fragrance. Usually contains one or more highly scented woods, such as balsam, cedar, or aloeswood. Often also contains galangal, cinnamon, and myrrh, and sometimes frankincense, storax. In the imp: Oil is clear and a dark bright yellow in color. I smell grapes and incense, with a little cardamom and cinnamon (cassia.) On me, wet: The first thing I pick up is the spices, especially the saffron this time. Then the grape/wine/raisins come through. It's surprisingly unsweet - I think due to the predominance of the saffron. It reminds me of saffron rice pilaf with raisins. After it has warmed and dried for a couple of minutes, it starts to develop a floral sweetness. So far I quite like this. It is highly unusual, and in spite of my thoughts of pilaf, it isn't really at all foody. At around 5 minutes, the woods and incenses come in, making it even less foody. They blend nicely with the saffron and florals - very complex and sophisticated. After 10 minutes: Now the honey has come to the foreground, together with the florals and saffron. The raisins are still there, but the overall impression isn't fruity. The woods and incenses provide a solid foundation and add extra warmth to that of the saffron. This is so lovely, exotic, and intriguing. The floral notes remind me of White Shoulders perfume, but the saffron added to them turns this into something entirely different. At this point it may be a little too feminine and flowery for the office. Which is just the type of perfume I like best! After 20 minutes: The incense, cardamom, and cinnamon are gaining ground, which makes it less feminine. Otherwise it's pretty much the same. After 30 minutes: Big change! Suddenly cinnamon and cardamom are the star players, with saffron and the florals tied for second place. The wood and incense have actually receded further into the background as the spices have strengthened. The sweetness now comes from the flowers and honey - like the best baclava. The grapiness is still there in strength, but it blends into the florals so smoothly that I don't notice it unless I really think about it. It seems like a small change, but it makes a big difference in the fragrance. And I love it this way just as much! It is still spicy and decidedly floral, rather than foody. I don't know why I keep getting these food images. I'm not even hungry. That just seems like the best way to describe these notes and how they come together. After 1 hour: Now the spices have taken a back seat to the incense notes. There's also just a hint of fruitiness, honey, and an even smaller trace of florals. It's primarily an incense-type perfume at this stage, more unisex. After 2 hours: Mostly incense now, with some honey and spices. After 3 hours: Now soft warm incenses and spices. Verdict: Very lovely and highly complex scent that morphs frequently and dramatically. It's not quite flowery enough to rate 5 stars for me, but I do really like it. It would be fine for the office after all, the florals don't stick around long enough with enough strength to make it ultra-feminine. My rating: 4 stars

In the imp: Oil is clear and a bright yellow. The fragrance is just as described, herbal and fruity. Also very sweet. And there are fabric softeners or dryer sheets in here as well (which I actually rather like.) On me, wet: On my skin there is a LOT more berry - blackberry. The overall impression is very strong and sweet. Also very fruity, but the dryer sheets keep it from being overly foody, which to me is a good thing. Still, it's really too strong and sweet for me. I think it would be great for a little girl. It smells just like a little girl, all grape jelly and clean clothes still warm from the dryer. After 10 minutes: Pretty much the same, except that the dryer sheets are now about equal in strength to the berries. After 20 minutes: Still much the same, but going a little plastic. Red fruits - and apparently black ones as well? - always do that on my skin. That makes it smell even more little-girly; like a Strawberry Shortcake doll. After 1 hour: Very little change - the dryer sheets may be starting to overtake the blackberries. After 1 1/2 hours: Now mostly dryer sheets, which I prefer to the berries. It's very fresh and clean, with just a bit of a fruity/plastic undertone. There was a hint of a warm incense note, but it didn't last long in any significant strength. After 2 hours: A faint scent of dryer sheets, with perhaps an even fainter wisp of incense. After 3 hours: Up close (the way I've been testing it), I detect just a trace of herbs and incense. But when I stop smelling my wrist, I notice that I'm sitting in a cloud of grapes and blackberries. A bit of oil must have rubbed off on my clothes. Verdict: On me, this fragrance stays quite consistent, just with a slightly different emphasis as time passes. I'll keep my imp for variety, but it's not really me and I won't wear it often. If I get any duplicate frimps of this, I'll give them to my 9-year-old granddaughter. I think she'd really love it. My rating: 3.5 stars out of 5, round to 3 Later edited to add: In 2018 I tried an imp from a batch that was made in approximately 2014. I noticed a few slight differences, perhaps due to the batch, age of imp, or changes in my skin chemistry. - When the berry note was dominant, it reminded me of Smarties candies. One of the very few kids' candies that I ever liked! - I noticed the florals more, rather than dryer sheets - I think the "incense" note might be sandalwood. It also lingered as a faint powdery incense note, the last thing I could smell right at the end. I get this effect often with BPAL oils that contain sandalwood. - I gave it a higher rating, 4 stars.

A gorgeous ladylike rose and violet-like blend with just a wisp of tea. This carries out the concept so vividly; and it is so perfectly suited to my Victorian house. It is a light and delicate fragrance - more rosewater than tea rose - even when I sprayed it so generously that my goblin was empty after only two uses. I definitely need a full bottle! My rating: 5 stars

Fragrance: So far, my favorite of the hair gloss scents! I love the spiciness and warmth and the non-foodiness of it. The only downside is that the scent doesn't last as long as the Snake Oil one does on my hair. Gloss: This does add shine to my hair without making it look greasy. And I especially love that the gloss helps to detangle it, too, when combing. My hair is extra long (hip length), thick, and somewhat curly, so it is very tangle-prone and I need all the help I can get with that. I always use a spray-on, leave-in detangler, but this works even when the detangler doesn't. When I use this, it takes less time to comb out the tangles and there is far less ripped-out hair stuck in my comb when I am finished. Like others, I too have noticed that if I put it on dry hair, I should use much less to avoid a greasy look. One spritz into my hand (then rub my hands together and wipe it into my hair starting at the bottom and working my way up) for the right side of my hair, and one for the left side is enough, even with my long hair. On wet hair, I can use much more without making my hair look greasy. (I use 8 sprays, 4 on each side, for my very long hair.) The scent also lasts longer this way, perhaps because I can use more of it.

My imp is a decant from the lovely and generous spiresinthesnow. In the imp: Oil is clear and the color is a gorgeous, glowing, pink-amber. The scent is strongly incense and musk, with just a hint of non-specific florals. On me, wet: On my skin the fragrance is the same, but clearer and brighter. After 15 minutes: Same as above. I'm not really getting much, if any, of the rose; but it is a lovely incense blend. With a somewhat sharp, bitter green overtone - probably the galbanum. After 30 minutes: There is a decidedly smoky aspect to this - it is lit incense, not an unlit incense stick. i can pick up a bit of rose if I try really hard, but I'd never notice it if I didn't already know it was there. I don't know what immortelle smells like, but this is emphatically an incense fragrance, not a floral one. After 40 minutes: The smokiness has developed a slightly skanky undertone - could that be from the musk? It is rather animalistic and feral, but not super strong. After 50 minutes: The skankiness has died down now, and the smokiness has also toned down considerably. This allows the rose to peek out just a little, along with a powdery amber. At 1 hour: Wow, this has changed completely, and very suddenly, within the last 15 minutes. Now there's almost no incense left at all, just a trace of smokiness. It has turned into an amber, musk, and slightly rose powder that verges on the scent of baby powder. But there's still enough of the skankiness left to keep it from edging over. Although in all honesty, I might prefer the baby powder. It is also delicate and close-to-the-skin now. At 1 hour 15 minutes: The scent continues to morph, although less dramatically now. It has veered away from baby powder and is now powdery amber and musk with a hint of the spiciness and smokiness of incense. A wisp of the animalistic note lingers as well. At 2 hours: Mostly gone. Verdict: A nice unisex incense fragrance, but I already have plenty of those. i was hoping for more rose. My rating: 4 stars

In the imp: Oil is clear and a light beige-yellow in color. It smells like a bright, classic perfume with plenty of florals and some lemon. On me, wet: Same as in the bottle right at first. But within a couple of minutes, the balsamic woods come out to change the entire character, making it a little sharper, less girly (yet still very feminine - womanly rather than girly), and more unique. But the woods aren't too strong or astringent. The florals are still the main game, which keeps me loving this. Fairly light and delicate; very formal and elegant. After 10 minutes: Same as above. The lemon is very subtle and flowery rather than fruity - definitely lemon balm rather than lemon fruit. I like that. The woods help to ground the scent. The grey amber is a gorgeous overtone floating above everything else. After 20 minutes: A little drier, but no less beautiful, and still very bright and joyous. After 30 minutes: The amber is going a bit powdery, like it always does on my skin. But I don't consider that a bad thing - it's not baby powder but a shockingly expensive luxury body powder. (I'd LOVE to have some of that.) Otherwise, much the same. After 1 hour: Same as above, but significantly weaker. After 2 hours: The same beautiful scent, but now quite faint. After 3 hours: As light as it was to begin with, and as quickly as it began to fade, I am pleasantly surprised to find that the fragrance still lingers. It is now all powdery - but lovely - amber. After 5 hours: I'm surprised again! I thought it would all be gone by now, and the amber is. But with the amber gone, a faint trace of the classic perfume fragrance still lingers on. Verdict: Very sophisticated and formal for a floral perfume, like an exclusive designer scent but without the chemical whang. The fragrance stays pretty consistent after the first few minutes. Utterly, drop-dead gorgeous. Damn, I wish I'd gotten a full bottle before it went down. There were just too many imps to try, I didn't get to it in time. Note to self: Do wear this in the scent locket, to make it last as long as possible. My rating: 5 stars

A contemplation of death: fragile vanilla blossom with polished oak, bitter clove, frankincense, myrrh, and green cognac. My imp is a decant from the lovely and generous spiresinthesnow. In the imp: Oil is clear and light yellow in color. It smells like a men's spice cologne to me - clove is the primary note, with wood, incense, and a teeny bit of cognac. On me, wet: The cognac is much stronger on me, making this a clove-and-cognac fragrance with the other notes as accents (although no vanilla is discernible yet.) It's a very intriguing and unusual combination, and the two notes blend beautifully. After 20 minutes: The clove has taken control again, and the cognac, wood, and incense notes are evenly balanced as secondary players. Still no vanilla, which is fine with me. And there's a distinct and very beautiful smokiness, like fine pipe tobacco. Also a distinct soapiness, like a men's bar soap. After 30 minutes: Same as above, although it's beginning to lighten up. After 1 hour: The soapiness has gone away, and it's lovelier than ever. After 2 hours: Now the incense, clove, and smoky notes are all about equal and the overall scent is much softer. A bit of vanilla hovers in the background. After several hours: Just some incense with a hint of vanilla remains. Verdict: These particular notes are just gorgeous together and I can't stop sniffing my wrist. And it keeps on getting better and better (smokier and softer) as time goes by. But it's too unisex/masculine for me to crave a full bottle. I'd adore this on a guy. Who would have thought, with "lace" in the name? I'll certainly enjoy using my imp, though! My rating: 4 stars

A celebratory scent, spicy and joyful. This is the nation flower of Spain. It symbolizes the suffering of Christ, the passion of lovers, and the laurels of victory. In the vial: It really does smell rather like real carnations. It isn't a typical floral scent; being far less sweet than other flowers, and spicy - somewhat like cinnamon and cloves but not nearly as strong. There's a strange, almost rank, overtone that I'm not sure I like. I feel the same way about the scent of real carnations, so that further proves its authenticity! On me, wet: On me, there's also a green note that makes it even more realistic. In fact, the overall fragrance on my skin is WAY more realistic - amazingly so! - than it was in the bottle. After 10 minutes: Less green and also less spicy now. Which means the rank note I don't like is more dominant. It's also going plastic. That sounds worse than it really is - this is still a very lifelike carnation. I just hope it doesn't keep going in the same direction. After 20 minutes: It didn't. Instead, the spiciness increased and has now significantly overtaken the rank note. The spiciness is closer to clove than to cinnamon. After 30 minutes: Alas, now the plastic note has taken over. But the other things are still there, too. After 1 hour: Pretty much the same as above, but less plastic. It smells even less typically floral than it did in the bottle and at first on my skin. After 2 hours: Now most of the plastic as well as the rank overtone has gone, leaving a very warm and lovely mild spice scent. After 3 hours: Same as above. After 4 hours: Very soft now. It has sweetened a little, otherwise is the same mild clove scent. My verdict: This doesn't so much morph (which you wouldn't expect from a SN anyway) as it does cycle - different aspects take turns dominating, but overall the fragrance stays pretty consistent. I don't like the scent of carnations as much as I do other flowers that smell more "floral", and I feel the same way about this perfume. However, it is pleasant enough and deserves high praise for authenticity. I especially enjoy it in late drydown when it is spicier. It will be a nice occasional change of pace from my more typical florals, and would be lovely layered with them. My rating: 4 stars

In the vial: The florals and the strawberry are about equal. It's kind of a strange combination that comes out a bit plastic, but it's not unpleasant. On me, wet: Right at first, it's much the same as in the vial. I really like the florals especially. I'm not so sure about the strawberry. It smells too artificial, and I'm not a fan of foody perfumes anyway. After 10 minutes: The foody notes are already starting to edge out the florals, to my dismay. From the many flowers in the description, I thought this might be the floral Lunacy I've wished for. There are florals here, but the foodiness is more than equal to them. After 20 minutes: Same as above. After 30 minutes: The chocolate has come in and the florals are now well in the background. The overall scent is teasing me with its familiarity, but I can't quite put a name to it. After 1 hour: I've got it! This smells exactly like a banana split. It's the strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla. I swear I can even smell the banana - that could be the honey, or maybe just the power of suggestion. After 2 hours: The scent is still the same, just softer. After 3 hours: Much the same, but it has faded more and turned more plastic. After 5 hours: Almost gone. Just a faint whiff of a plastic/artificial strawberry note and a bit of chocolate. In the perfume locket: Wet: Flowers and strawberry. After 1 1/2 hours: The chocolate is the strongest note now, but I can still discern the florals in the background. After 2 hours: It has become the chocolate/strawberry/vanilla banana split scent that it also developed into on my skin. But the florals haven't completely disappeared. They are more noticeable when I sniff the locket right up close. After 1 day: The scent stays quite consistent, with the floral notes sticking around to balance out the foodiness of the chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla. As expected, it never develops the plastic overtone that is characteristic of my skin's reaction to certain oils, red fruits especially. In the locket, the fragrance stays fresh all day. Verdict: I like this best right at first when the florals still have a definite presence. After that, it is delicious and fun to sniff, but not something I'd wear as a perfume. I don't really want to walk around smelling like I've been eating banana splits all day. I prefer it in the perfume locket, which retains the floral top notes and the freshness of the scent. This is a lovely and fun blend, but even in the locket it is a little too foody to rate 5 stars from me. I'm still glad to have a full bottle, though. My rating: 4 stars

In the imp: Oil is clear and a golden dark yellow. At first I smell 80% jasmine and 20% incense, but almost instantly it morphs into an intensely green and herbal scent instead, without a trace of either jasmine or incense. Fascinating - I can't wait to see what it does on my skin! On me, wet: Jasmine is decidedly the dominant note, but here it coexists simultaneously with the greenery (mosses, grass, and/or herbs), which almost equals it in strength. And the earth note is far more obvious than it was in the vial. Especially after a couple of minutes, this is virtually a balanced triad between the jasmine, greenery, and soil notes. After 10 minutes: Still much the same, although the jasmine is gaining over the other notes. After 20 minutes: Same as above. After 30 minutes: The jasmine is starting to fade, so that the greenery and earth notes are now equal to it again. And I seem to be picking up a hint of other florals now, although not strongly enough to identify what type of flowers they might be. They add a nice touch. After 1 hour: At about 45 minutes,, the greenery and earth notes vanished so that the scent was pretty much all jasmine, with just that hint of other florals. But now a bit of incensey spiciness is starting to also peek out as the jasmine continues to fade. What's left of the jasmine is now even soapier than it normally is, and rather plastic as well. This isn't my favorite phase for this blend. I hope the incense base notes will come out more strongly to rescue it. After 2 hours: As it turns out, it is the other florals which first come to the rescue. When the jasmine dies down, their beauty is finally able to shine out, although they remain very soft. I think gardenia might be one of the other flower notes that smell so pretty. As it gets closer to the 2-hour mark, the incense notes do become more of a presence, yet they stay in the background. After 3 hours: The fragrance has stabilized as it gradually fades. It settles into a blend of lovely mixed flowers with a subtle accent of incense. The incense never does become a leading player in this. After 5 1/2 hours: There is a faint trace remaining of mixed florals, a little incense, with perhaps just a wisp of smoke. Verdict: The jasmine is too strong in this to rate a bottle-worthy 5 stars. But overall this perfume is quite nice, especially in late drydown when the gardenia and other florals take the stage. I'll keep and enjoy my imp. My rating: 4 stars

ETA: 2012 edition In the vial: A lovely scent, lighter and more feminine than most of the Lunacies. It's green, herbal, with a touch of florals, and something bright, almost lemony. Grass is the only specific note that I can identify, since except for peat, I don't know what any of the other things smell like. (Unless bog rosemary smells like regular rosemary?) And at this point, I don't notice any peat. Not knowing what most of these things smell like makes this fragrance difficult to describe, but I'll do my best. (NOTE: I checked online, and bog rosemary is unrelated to regular rosemary and smells nothing like it. The name comes from the resemblance of its leaves to those of rosemary.) On me, wet: Even more herbal on my skin, with a trace of earthiness. Within two minutes, the throw has already weakened significantly. After 20 minutes: Up close, it smells a lot like a traditional perfume. There is a tiny bit of an aquatic note (the frost on the peat?), which together with the ambergris, contributes to the impression of a designer perfume. From further away, the fragrance is sweeter, more herbal, and more flowery. - stronger on the herbals than on the florals. This is excellent for hot weather. After 30 minutes: No noticeable change. There's an undertone that I can't describe or identify, which is very unique and a little animalistic - maybe the ambergris? This is a highly complex fragrance. After 1 hour: Same as above. After 2 hours: Virtually gone. I also wore this simultaneously in my perfume locket. There, it smells less like a classic perfume - sweeter, more floral, and more natural, than it was on my skin. Even in the locket, this is relatively lighter and more short-lived than most BPAL blends are in the locket. But that's not necessarily a bad thing - a lighter and less lasting scent is just what I prefer for hot weather. Verdict: Another one of my favorite Lunacies, due to its theme, lightness, florals, and more feminine mood. Contrary to the description and in spite of the inspired mix of ingredients, this doesn't make me think of bogs at all; being too light and fresh-smelling for that. Which is kind of a shame, as I am intrigued by the idea of a scent that smells like a bog. But I love it anyway, for other reasons. Perhaps this is more of a heath-and-moor (with just a bit of bog) kind of scent. I never did notice any peat. But I'm probably thinking of the fragrance of burning peat instead - I've never smelled freshly cut peat up close. (Wish I'd thought to do that when I had the chance!) My rating: 4.5 stars

In the imp: Oil is clear and a light yellow color. I smell patchouli, and not just any patchouli, but the one I loved so much and remember so vividly from high school back in the 70's and have been searching for ever since. I've tried many other patchouli oils since, and they just aren't the same. But this one is. I wish the description listed the ingredients and specified what kind of patchouli it is so I could look for it in other blends as well. There are other things in this too, less obvious, that I can't identify. I just know that it's more complex than a single-note patchouli. On me, wet: Still mostly (by far) that specific type of patchouli that I love so much. With some other incenses or resins. And just a touch a something bright, almost lemony. And an even softer touch of florals? I totally love this! It's patchouli the way I remember it, but ratcheted up to a whole new level of elegance and complexity. After 10 minutes: The lemony top note wafted away quickly. And the scent is becoming more woody (perhaps sandalwood?) as it dries. And I'm starting to pick up the faintest hint of pine or fir. Those aren't usually my favorite notes, but here they are too subtle to be sharp like they usually are. Very lovely with the wood and patchouli. The patchouli, alas, is already losing some strength, but it's still around. I have hopes that it will stay - patchouli usually is quite long-lasting. It's getting a little smoky, too - could there be a bit of vetiver in this? I can relate to the earth note that some reviewers have mentioned - I think it comes from the patchouli and/or vetiver. After 20 minutes: There's still a trace of floral, but it's receding even farther into the background as the smoke and woods take over. They've become equal to the patchouli. After 30 minutes: This is now less of a patchouli scent and more of a wood-and-smoke one, with a bit of incensey spiciness. I'm having memories of a cedar hope chest, so cedar must the one of the woods. I'm still thinking sandalwood is another. After 1 hour: The smokiness has lightened up considerably, allowing the patchouli to come out more. Now the patchouli, wood, and incense notes are about equal. After 2 1/2 hours: I think there may be a bit of amber or some such incensey resin coming out to sweeten the scent a little now. Otherwise, it's the same as above, but softer. Quite lovely. After 4 1/2 hours: It's soft and subtle, but I can still clearly smell incense and amber. The patchouli is almost gone. After 5 hours: Surprisingly, the pachouli is a major contender again - I guess the other notes faded out enough to let it take one last bow before the final curtain. After 16 1/2 hours: I can still smell a faint but beautiful scent - mostly amber, I think, with just a little pachouli. Verdict: I'm normally more of a flower person, but I MUST have a bottle of this! It's gorgeous and long-lasting on my skin, but I think I'd love it even more in the perfume locket in order to retain to top notes longer, since the first several minutes was my absolute favorite stage of this. My rating: 5 stars

Right at first, the jasmine is the star, with magnolia coming in at a close second. I adore florals, but jasmine isn't my favorite due to its soapiness and the way it overpowers everything in its path. But here the magnolia is strong enough to keep the jasmine from being too terribly obnoxious. I also pick up a bit of Spanish moss, and maybe a little tobacco way in the background. I like this a lot, but would prefer less jasmine and more magnolia. After about 30 minutes, the jasmine has subsided, making this a truly gorgeous fragrance. The lightening up of the jasmine allows the honey to peek out slightly, but I don't specifically notice the musk. I could still smell it faintly on my pillow two days later - magnolia, moss, and honey. I never did notice any vanilla, which is fine with me. I would love to have a full bottle of this! My rating: 5 stars

I love this, both the gloss and the fragrance! Scent: One of my favorites of the hair gloss scents - it ties with my previous fave of Frankincense Clove - and maybe even goes it one better. It's more subtle, and blends better with my fragrance oils. And like that one, it isn't too foody. This scent also lasts longer than the Frankincense one. Gloss: This does add shine to my hair without making it look greasy. And I especially love that the gloss helps to detangle it, too, when combing. My hair is extra long (hip length), thick, and somewhat curly, so it is very tangle-prone and I need all the help I can get with that. I always use a spray-on, leave-in detangler, but this works even when the detangler doesn't. When I use this, it takes less time to comb out the tangles and there is far less ripped-out hair stuck in my comb when I am finished. Like others, I too have noticed that if I put it on dry hair, I should use much less to avoid a greasy look. One spritz into my hand (then rub my hands together and wipe it into my hair starting at the bottom and working my way up) for the right side of my hair, and one for the left side is enough, even with my long hair. On wet hair, I can use much more without making my hair look greasy. (I use 8 sprays, 4 on each side, for my very long hair.) The scent also lasts longer this way, perhaps because I can use more of it. My rating: 5 stars

Shake well before using - there are globules of an amber-colored oil in this that does not dissolve and blend in to the pale yellow watery fluid. A deep and dark smoke-and-incense scent; with just a tiny smidgeon of sweetness (the opoponax?) that makes it stand out from other such blends. Perfect for a man cave, a guy's car (or the car of a woman who loves incensey unisex fragrances), or the library room of an English country manor. It is dignified, introspective. As befits its name, there is a sacred mood to it that would also make it ideal for religious places and spiritual practice, such as prayer, meditation, rituals, etc. For the altar, I think of this as belonging to the elements of air and fire due to the smoke and incense. This blend is not typical of my normal preference for girly florals. But it is so beautiful that I love it anyway, and will keep and use it for meditation or for an occasional change of pace. The longevity seemed about average at first, as it greatly decreased in strength after a few hours. However, a couple of days later I noticed that the bed linens I had sprayed it on still held a soft incense fragrance that was even lovelier for having lost the smokiness and masculine feel. My rating: 5 stars

In the vial: Vivid fresh strawberries with vanilla sugar. Sniffing it is ecstasy, but I don't really want to smell like strawberries have been squashed and smeared all over me! On me, wet: The strawberry top note is slightly less strikingly realistic than it was in the bottle, but strawberry is still the main theme. And now I can smell the honey and grasses, also a touch of cream (the milky dandelion sap?) After 10 minutes: Pretty much the same as above. There might also be the teeniest whisper of floral waaaay in the background. After 20 minutes: The strawberry is already going a bit plastic. Red fruits always do that on my skin - so it's me, not the perfume, that is to blame. After 30 minutes: Same as above. After the plastic-y strawberry, the next strongest note at this point is the honey. After 1 hour: The strawberry is really plastic-y now, and honey is the only other thing I can detect. After 2 hours: Same as above, but now barely there. Verdict: For me, this works best in my perfume locket due to the reaction with my skin that makes red fruits smell like plastic. In the locket, it retains the lovely fragrance that it had in the vial and during the first 10 minutes on my skin. It is mouth-wateringly delicious and amazingly realistic, but too foody to make it into the 5-star bracket for me, at least not for wearing as a perfume. I do love sniffing it, though! My rating: 4 stars (Edited for grammar)

The scent of loss, love and the echo of time without end: sorrowful violet and chamomile with muguet, white geranium, calla lily and tea rose with a hint of autumn leaves. In the imp: Oil is clear and a light bright yellow. Beautiful! Lots of flowers, especially rose, lilies, and violet. On me, wet: The rose is no longer evident as a specific note, and there's something almost spicy here - probably the geranium, which also gives it a touch of a herbal greenness. But mainly, a mixed bouquet of gorgeous flowers - especially violet and muguet - just like in the imp. After 30 minutes: Same as above. This has a lovely, ultra-feminine, and dressy feel. It would be perfect for tea parties or church. It would also be suitable for formal occasions if you don't care for designer-style aldehydic perfumes, as it is a bit more sophisticated than many floral perfumes. Too girly for the office, though. After 1 hour: The spiciness has increased, but just a little. This blend is quite consistent. After 2 hours: The spiciness has continued to increase slightly, and it is a little more like a classic perfume, but overall it is still consistent, although considerably faded now. Verdict: Longevity on me is slightly shorter than average, but acceptable. I don't get any autumn leaves from this. To me it is more of a fresh green spring-and-summer scent, although from the 1-hour mark on, the increasing spiciness does make it feel more autumnal in mood. But there's no dry, papery note that I would associate with leaves in the fall. No problem. I always adore floral perfumes, so this is right down my alley! I'd love to get a full bottle of it, if only it were still available. Sigh. Verdict: 5 stars

In the vial: I mostly smell green apples - Granny Smith? - with maybe just a touch of florals. I'm disappointed, as I expected a single note to be just the flower, without the addition of the fruit. (Unless maybe apple blossoms - unlike orange blossoms - do carry some of the fruit scent? I'm not that familiar with apple blossoms - apple trees don't grow where I live. But other apple blossom perfumes I've used had no trace of the fruit.) It's beautiful and I love sniffing it, but I don't want to walk around smelling like any kind of food. Well, I'll give it a try. On me, wet: Even fruiter. But I have to admit, it is an utterly realistic fresh apple. And then, within a minute, a bit of slightly sharp floral starts to peek out. It stays well in the background, though. After 10 minutes: The floral has continued to strengthen, and is now more of a presence. It is a dry, powdery (in a good way) kind of floral - no longer sharp. I like this somewhat better as a perfume now. It is still more fruity than floral, though. After 30 minutes: Some of the fruitiness has gone, but my skin seems to be doing weird things to this, because it doesn't smell like flowers, either. Just a strange, artificial kind of smell. With an undertone of motor oil. After 1 hour: Same as above, although I'm picking up the apple fruit a little more - perhaps because the other things are fading? After 2 hours: All apple (fruit). No trace left of the floral note. At least it's back to a normal apple scent anyway, no more of that unpleasant chemical-and-motor oil odor. After 3 hours: It has settled into a stable fragrance of apple fruit as it gradually fades. It's weaker now, but definitely still around. I then tried this in my perfume locket, in order to avoid the strange-smelling chemical reaction with my skin, and also to see if the floral aspect would remain longer that way. At 20 minutes: It is all fruit. The floral has yet to develop, but that's not surprising. I've found that fragrances tend to go through all the same phases, but FAR more slowly, in the perfume locket as they do on the skin. (And without any detrimental interactions with the skin, obviously.) At 30 minutes: I started to pick up just of hint of florals around the 30-minute mark. At first they are very soft, but after about a few minutes, I get the same slight sharpness that I noticed on my skin. At 45 minutes: Lots of gorgeous floral, yay! Almost equal to the fruitiness. I love it at this point! The fruit note makes a lovely accent when there is enough floral presence to keep the overall fragrance from being foody. Af 7 1/2 hours: I suspect that the throw might be more fruity, but up close anyway (to me while wearing it), the floral is still holding its own. Which means I'm still loving it. For me, the perfume locket is definitely the way to go with this. On a side note, while still wearing the locket, I went to bed on sheets that had been sprayed with Erebos Atmospheric Spray many hours earlier (maybe even the night before, I don't remember when I did it.) The combination of this with the faded Erebos is absolutely STUNNING! After 14 hours: Now decidedly more fruity than floral, as when it started out. My rating: 3.5 stars on my skin, 4.5 stars in the scent locket This would also make a great room scent for the kitchen; or an air freshener in the fridge (I crumple up a paper towel into a small glass jar, drip some oil onto the paper towel, and put the jar uncovered in the refrigerator.)

OMG, this is stunningly gorgeous! It is lavender without the astringency or medicinal note that is often characteristic of lavender. It is lavender softened by bouquets of other heavenly purple flowers. There's also something in here that is bright and sparkly, almost lemony, except not foody or fruity. I don't pick up any vanilla for the first half hour, but around that time the sparkly/lemony note disappears and a gentle warm undertone of vanilla takes its place, contributing even more softness to that of the purple flowers. I'm not of fan of vanilla-based perfumes, but here the vanilla is discreet enough to add softness and warmth without foodiness. I never do notice any of the melon or cedar; nor do any of the flowers except lavender stand out as a specific note. But that doesn't matter. This is perfect exactly as it is. Perhaps the melon is the sparkly/lemony note. And I could see how a small amount of cedar could blend in seamlessly with the lavender note. So they might be adding subtle nuances without being strong enough to identify. Sprayed into the air, the fragrance is very light and short-lived. But sprayed onto bed linens, it has just the right strength to pillow me within a cloud of peacefulness and bliss that lasts for many hours. Verdict: This just blows me away. I adore lavender, and have many lavender-based scents. But this is one of my top 2 or 3 favorites ever. I've always loved the combination of rose and a little vanilla with lavender, and this blend takes that to a whole new level of beauty. It would be a great choice for those who don't normally like lavender but are willing to give it a try, since the lavender is so gentle but distinct in this. Not for those who don't like florals, though! I wasn't planning to buy any full-size atmospheric sprays at this time since I already have several. But I MUST get a full bottle of this! My rating: 5+ stars ETA: After reading the other reviews, I see that I need to make it a priority to try TKO! I'd love to also have a perfume that smells like this!