Ghost of a Rose

My 2011 imp is a decant from the lovely meaganola. In the imp: Oil is clear and a very pale ivory, almost colorless. It smells exactly like a rich, creamy, luscious real eggnog. On me, wet: I don't normally like foody perfumes, but I love eggnog, and this is so unique, realistic, and delicious that I can't help but adore it. I wouldn't wear it just anywhere (not for work or dressy occasions, for example), but I do love it and will enjoy wearing it at home or at casual events. After 10 minutes: Darn, it has already lost the realism, the rum, and the creaminess. Now it's all plastic and nutmeg. Oh well. Never mind if my skin screws it up - that's what perfume lockets are for. After 20 minutes: Same as above. After 30 minutes: It's still plastic-y, but the brandy note is coming out which improves and warms the scent. I'm smelling a little vanilla as well. The nutmeg is still around, but not as strong as before. After 2 hours: Mostly plastic, with some vanilla. After 3 1/2 hours: Only a touch of vanilla remains. Verdict: I won't wear this often enough to need a full bottle, but I will thoroughly enjoy the deliciousness of my imp. And I will buy more decants in the future, in any years it is available. I'll wear it in my scent locket rather than on my skin. My rating: 5 stars

My 2011 imp is a decant from the lovely meaganola. In the imp: The oil is clear and colorless, looking as pure as water. My first impression is that it's all plum, but then some really beautiful florals show up in the background. On me, wet: Exactly the same as in the imp. It's very lovely - the florals have enough presence to keep it from being overwhelmingly foody. After 10 minutes: The plum has taken over. It's a nice plum - so far, it hasn't gone plastic as usually happens with red fruits on my skin. But I miss the florals, which are almost completely gone. For me, they were the best part, and I'd prefer them to be the primary note with the plum as an accent. It's too foody now to really my kind of thing. After 30 minutes: Still all plum. After 1 hour: Alas, the plum has gone all plastic-y. It was inevitable, on my skin. I'm surprised at how long it stayed nice, actually! I'll try it in the scent locket to see if the florals will stick around that way. Later: It still was more plum than florals in the locket as well. In fact, the florals showed up the most in the first 10 minutes on my skin. They seem to require the higher temperature of my skin to bring them out more. But the locket had advantages as well - the scent stays nice longer (although the flowers are not as strong in the locket, they did stick around; which meant that the drydown scent was not quite so overwhelmingly foody; and the plum didn't go plastic.) Verdict: It is a pleasant scent, and really lovely in the first 10 minutes on the skin. I'll wear it both on my skin and in the locket at the same time - on my skin to bring out the short-lived floral top notes, and in the locket where it stays nice. I like it enough to use up my imp, but it's too foody for me to want a bottle. I have to admit that all that plum is perfect for the concept - "visions of sugar plums danced in their heads." People who enjoy fruity scents will love this. My rating: 4 stars

In the vial: It smells almost like single-note hazelnut. There may be just a ghost of the fruits hiding in the background - or that could be my imagination. On me, wet: At first, I smell only the hazelnut. But within seconds, a very mild note of pine kicks in. And if I try really hard, I can just barely pick up a little fruitiness. After 10 minutes: The pine has already mostly faded away, and the honey has stepped in to take its place. It is lovely in combination with the hazelnut. After 30 minutes: Hazelnut and honey. After 1 hour: Back to single-note hazelnut. After 3 hours: Much faded, but still there. Hazelnut, honey, and something a little dusty and musky - the acorns? the warm black fur? The fruits are virtually nonexistent in this, which seems like a shame. They are so perfect for the concept, and would go well with the other notes. Verdict: Hazelnut is definitely the star of this show. It is a pleasant unisex blend that can be enjoyed equally by both women and men, but too foody to be something I'd wear very often. My rating: 4 stars

My imp is a decant from the generous Fright. In the imp: The oil is clear and a light bright yellow color. The fragrance is fruity (especially grape) with bit of vanilla. On me, wet: On me, it's hardly fruity at all, but a much more unusual and indescribable scent, kind of spicy. Strangely, it reminds me of curry more than anything. Underlying that are hints of carnation, grapefruit, and lemon. So far I'm not getting either of the rose notes, which disappoints me. But I am intrigued by how unique this is. After 10 minutes: Still that spicy curry smell, with a grapefruit note that is surprisingly sharp and not at all sweet, close behind. The curry note is teasing me with memories of a specific and uncommon spice that is found is some curries. Maybe fenugreek? Or coriander? After 20 minutes: The curry spice is still the main note, and the grapefruit has faded but still present. If I try really hard, I can now detect the faintest whisper of rose. It's so subtle that I'd never notice it if I didn't already know it was there. It's odd how this doesn't smell anything like most of its ingredients, but like something completely different. And also odd how totally different it smells on me than it did in the imp. I'll be curious to read the other reviews and see if this happened to anyone else or if it's just a weird fluke of my skin chemistry. I've had notes that go "off" on my skin, and blends that feature different notes on my skin than in the bottle. But I've never had a fragrance change so completely when I put it on. After 30 minutes: The rose is increasing, which I like, but it is still a subtle nuance behind the curry and grapefruit. After 1 hour: Curry, with rose and a little musk. After 2 hours: It's finally losing the curry scent, and is now flowers and fruits (too faded to identify specific ones) with a bit of musk and sandalwood. Verdict: I enjoy sniffing the fragrance on my wrist (I love curry.) But I wouldn't want to go around smelling like cooking odors all day. I might wear this at home just for fun, but I wouldn't wear it out in public. I tested this in the perfume locket as well, in case there was something going on with my skin: At first: The first thing I smell is pink grapefruit and apricots, with a hint of unidentifiable flowers. After 10 minutes, it's pretty much the same except that I notice the grape as well. There's a trace of spiciness, but it's the incensey spiciness of sandalwood and patchouli, rather than curry! After 2 hours: I can recognize a whispered echo of the curry note that I got on my skin, just enough to sort of tell where it came from. It seems to be the combination of the grapefruit with the slight spiciness of sandalwood, patchouli, and carnation. But in the locket, it doesn't smell anything like curry - just itself, an unusual fragrance. The fruits are a much stronger presence than they were on my skin. After 6 hours: The rose has become a significant player, together with the grapefruit and spiciness. All three aspects are fairly equally balanced at this point. After 24 hours: A gorgeous blend of rose and sandalwood. Final verdict: So much better in the scent locket that I do want a bottle after all! I'll wear it in the locket rather than on my skin. My rating: On my skin - 3 stars In the scent locket - 4 stars

My imp is a decant from the generous Fright. In the imp: The oil is clear and colorless. It has a medicinal kind of scent - the chamomile, green tea, sage, and perhaps the moss - that is reminiscent of (but definitely is not) eucalyptus. It doesn't have the sinus-clearing sharpness of eucalyptus, just a similar kind of fragrance. On me, wet: Much the same as in the imp. Not sweet or floral at all, which is surprising considering the ingredients. After 10 minutes: Mmm, the florals (especially jonquil and champaca) have kicked in, making this much nicer. There's still a strong green component and not much sweetness. I like the concept and how the notes tie in with it: blue chamomile = blue for dusk, chamomile for sleep and dreams; green tea and white sage = the mystery of the Orient and the deserts of the West; champaca and sage = spiritual practice; Spanish moss, jonquil, and wisteria = the mysterious swamps of the American South, flower and tree-lined avenues draped with the moss. Very intriguing! After 20 minutes: Still very herbal and somewhat floral, but the spiciness of champaca incense is becoming more insistent. After 30 minutes: For the first time, the florals have gotten the upper hand over the herbs, making this softer, gentler, and more feminine. I love the juxtaposition between that and the spiciness of the champaca. After 1 hour: It's mostly the florals and the incensey champaca that I notice now. After 2 hours: Quite soft and subtle now.The champaca is the main note, with the flowers hovering right behind. It's more perfumey than it was earlier. After 4 hours: The scent is gone from my wrist. My rating: 4 stars

My imp is a decant from the generous Fright. In the imp: The oil is darker than most BPAL's, a dark orangey-brown. It looks a lot like some types of patchouli oil. The scent is very sweet and complex, with the orange dominating and the florals also in evidence. On me, wet: Very mysterious and oriental in mood. Much like in the imp, but I can also detect some pomegranate, the slight spiciness of saffron, and a very subtle vanilla-like note of tonka. In spite of the orange leading note, this isn't foody in the least. It's really more like an incense type of fragrance. Perhaps that's the influence of the amber, although I don't specifically notice amber. After 10 minutes: Much the same, except that the florals and spices are stronger now, equally balanced with the orange. It's lovely. I see this as more of an evening scent than a noon one due to its formality, sophistication, and heaviness. I definitely get the fiery mood - something about this seems very red and orange. It makes sense, since many of the ingredients are those colors. After 20 minutes: Same as above. After 30 minutes: Same as above. After 1 hour: Much of the orange has faded away, allowing the spices to take over as the primary note. This is now a spice fragrance rather than an incense one, but it is a subtle change rather than a transformation. After 5 hours: The fragrance is still the same, but is barely discernible. Verdict: Although this isn't at all the type of fragrance I usually wear, I really like it a lot. I imagine wearing it to a formal evening event and see in my mind's eye a woman wearing an ankle-length Cheongsam of red silk brocade, embroidered with orange and yellow accents. My rating: 4 stars

My imp is a decant from the lovely PhantasmMystera. In the imp: This is pretty, and very different, hard to describe. There's a camphoraceous note - probably pine. The scent is somewhat spicy, but not a foody kind of spice, more like an incense. And something here reminds me of citrus, tangerine especially. I don't know where those scents are coming from! Maybe it's just my nose. Or maybe they are part of the snow accord. On me, wet: The pine note is stronger, sharper, and dominates everything at first. I can easily picture a snowy forest. After 10 minutes: Still mostly all pine when sniffed up close. But in the throw there is the spice and tangerine, along with some rather soapy florals. I can't ID any specific flower (I'm not that familiar with the ones in this blend); nor does this come across as a floral-type perfume. It's really rather unisex. After 20 minutes: Pretty much the same. The pine seems to contiinue getting stronger (or the other notes weaker.) After 30 minutes: Pine with a little spiciness. And now, there's a wisp of leafy green that must be the hemlock. After 1 hour: Pine is still the main note, but it's now a gentle one, having lost the sharpness. The florals are catching up, and the hemlock remains a subtle green presence. The overall fragrance has gone a bit plastic. After 2 hours: The pine is mostly gone now - in fact, so is the entire scent. All that remains is a faint plastic-y note that smells more soapy than flora. Verdict: Nice, but too much pine to really be my thing. My rating: 3 stars

My imp is a decant from the lovely PhantasmMystera. In the imp: With all those flowers, I knew I'd love this - but even so, I'm stunned by its beauty. It's a fabulous bouquet of florals. I don't know what most of these particular flowers smell like, so I can't identify the specific notes, just that it is a unique blend. I do recognize a bit of tuberose. On me, wet: Rose and plumeria with other realistic florals. Utterly stunning. After 10 minutes: Now less rose - a blend of flowers with just a hint of incense. After 30 minutes: It has become a soapy kind of scent that reminds me of jasmine, which isn't in this. No more rose or plumeria, and I miss them. I don't love this as much now. After 1 hour: Same as above, and already much faded. After 2 hours: Pretty much gone. Verdict: This started out so promising - no, much more than that - exceptional. But by 30 minutes, I was disappointed. It was okay, just nothing special. And then, it faded away faster than any BPAL I've tried. But I was so totally in love with the initial scent, that I still have high hopes for it in the perfume locket. In any case, this is a very exclusive blend - for flower lovers only! In the perfume locket: At first, I don't smell much of anything. But as the oil is exposed to oxygen and warms up, the gorgeous scent I loved in the imp (and for the first 10 or 15 minutes on my skin) wafts out. After 2 hours: The same scent, now with a faint undertone on incense. Over the next 2 days: The fragrance blooms into swooning rose-and-plumeria heaven . . . After 4 days: The throw is weaker, but the same wonderful scent remains, with the incense note now a stronger presence yet still in the background. It never did develop that soapy jasmine-like scent that it had for a while on my skin. So that must have been my skin chemistry. Oh yeah, I need a bottle . . . Three if I can afford it! To wear in the scent locket rather than on my skin. My rating: On my skin, 4 stars In the perfume locket, 5+ stars

My imp is a decant from the lovely PhantasmMystera. In the imp: A very well-balanced blend of unidentifiable florals, clary sage, and pine, that left a gentle "aftertaste" ("aftersmell"?) of orange fruit on my nose for a few moments. On me, wet: The pine is a great deal sharper, and in fact is the only thing I can smell at first. After about a minute I can detect some greenery, wood, and a teeny bit of orange, all hiding behind the pine. After 15 minutes: Same as above, with the addition of the floral notes that I can smell now, mostly honeysuckle and orange blossom. Both are subtle nuances rather than main notes, and are blended enough that it would be difficult to identify the particular flowers if I didn't already know they are there. I may be picking up the immortelle as well - I don't know what that smells like. (Ditto for the ambrette seed.) After 30 minutes: The throw is mostly a somewhat cloying fruity orange which I don't like all that much. I prefer my orange blossoms to smell like the real flowers, without any trace of the fruit. Sniffed up close, that's still the first thing I notice. The pine has lost its initial sharpness but is still a distinct presence. The pine tones down any tendency to foodiness, but I don't especially like it in combination with the orange. It reminds me of household cleansers. The florals are also still there, but are fading in strength. There's also a bit of musk. After 1 hour: The notes are more blended and softer. The ones I notice most are florals, orange, and pine. After 2 hours: Most of the pine and orange have faded away, and the main notes now are (generic) florals and musk. Maybe a little tobacco, but not much. It's more of a feminine scent, very soft and lovely. After 3 hours: It's becoming quite faint, but now that the other notes have evaporated I can smell the tobacco more, although it still takes a back seat to the musk. After 4 hours: Pretty much gone. Verdict: Most of the time, I liked this a lot. The cloying orange fruit note that I didn't care for was predominant only for a short time. I would have preferred more of the honeysuckle and orange blossom notes, for which I chose this blend. I don't need a bottle, but I'll keep and enjoy my imp. My rating: 4 stars

My imp of the 2011 version is a decant from the lovely PhantasmMystera. In the imp: Gorgeous realistic rose. On me, wet: The same beautiful rose note, but there may be something else here as well - maybe a faint undertone of earth? After 10 minutes: Mostly the same, but the undertone has become a little plastic-y. The rose is still beautiful, though. After 20 minutes: The hint of plastic has faded, and it's all rose again. After 30 minutes: The same. A rich, velvety, deep red rose; with a strong throw. After 1 hour: The scent is still the same, but not nearly so strong. After 2 hours: A faint rose fragrance remains. After 3 hours: Mostly gone, but there's still a trace left. Verdict: Fabulous, virtually (and possibly literally?) a single-note rose fragrance. So of course I love it and definitely want a full bottle. And I'm going to throw out my old 2007 bottle - clearly aging has spoiled it; this is what it's supposed to smell like. I want to do a comparison test between this and Rose Red by trying one on each wrist at the same time to see how they differ. I can't tell just by trying to remember what the Rose Red smells like. But that will have to wait. Right now I'm hurrying to finish skin testing all my Yule decants to see which ones I want full bottles of, before they go down. My rating: 5+ stars

My imp is a decant from the lovely PhantasmMystera. In the imp: Oh, this is beautiful! I first notice the gardenia, then a very realistic note of pear, delicate enough to not seem foody, and blending gorgeously with the florals. In the background I can detect rose, red currant, and honey. On me, wet: Right away I get a throw of musk. Then a fruity note that is less defined than it was in the imp. Sniffed up close, the gardenia is the primary note. And here comes the vanilla, which I didn't notice in the imp. This isn't quite as beautiful on my skin - it is slightly foodier, and I miss the true pear note. But it is still very bright and pretty. On me, after 10 minutes: Pretty much the same. It is getting fruitier, and the gardenia is leaning towards powder, but it's a beautiful powder, not baby powder. All of the notes are starting to blend together more so that it's harder to pick out individual scents. After 20 minutes: I'm reminded of Juicy Fruit gum, but fortunately the gardenia and musk help to balance that out. After 30 minutes: Now mostly gardenia and rose musk powder, with a mild undertone of fruit that is fading fast. It's a dry, feminine, and elegant scent. After 1 hour: Now all the fruit is gone, and it is even more lovely. Powdery gardenia, rose, and musk. After 2 hours: Weaker, but otherwise the same. After 7 hours: There is still a delicate breath of musk lingering on my wrist. It's a plain musk now, without any trace of rose. Verdict: I definitely want a full bottle. And I want to try it in the perfume locket, too, to see if the exceptionally beautiful fragrance that I smelled in the imp (with the fresh pear note) will be retained longer. My rating: 5 stars

In the imp: Oil is clear and a light, bright yellow color. The fragrance is berry and a gorgeous true orange blossom. On me, wet: Right at first, it's the same as in the imp. After a few moments, the berry takes charge, and I can also detect a note of the other florals. The rose is not a strong presence - it's there, but it blends in rather than being a specific note like the orange blossom is. This is more berry than floral, but the florals are strong enough to keep it from being foody. After 10 minutes: The berry continues to strengthen, and is turning a little plastic-y. Berry scents always do that on my skin. The florals are fading, but there is still an undertone of realistic fresh petals. After 30 minutes: Alas, now pretty much all (slightly pastic-y) berry. Nice enough, but it's the vanished florals I really love. They haven't disappeared completely, but almost. After 1 hour: Same as above. After 2 hours: All berry. After 4 hours: A whiff of berry remains, with faint spicy undertones of frankincense and sandalwood. After 5 hours: Almost gone. Verdict: I'm in ecstasy for the first 10 minutes, but then it turns foody (berry.) Based on the skin test, I won't be needing a full vial, although I will keep and use the imp. I'm going to try it in my perfume locket to see if the initial gorgeous orange-blossom-with-other-florals note will last longer. In the perfume locket: At first, it's a beautiful fragrance of the mingled flowers, more equally balanced than in the imp or on my skin. The orange blossom can be detected, but to my disappointment, it isn't the leading note that it was in the imp and wet on my skin. Maybe it will come out more with time. Berry is present, but behaves itself as a discreet background note. After 30 minutes: Yay, the orange blossom is indeed now the main note, and as gorgeously realistic as it was in the imp! After 1 hour: Orange blossom still holding strong . . . this is convincing me that I do "need" a bottle after all . . . After 4 hours: Same as above. After 6 hours: Now a lovely mix of all three floral notes, with a hint of the berry. After 24 hours: The same, but now with the addition of the incense notes. In the locket, this is beautiful at all times. The berry is there to add accent, but doesn't overwhelm the other scents. Apparently it was my skin that amped the berry. My rating: 3 stars on my skin 5 stars in the perfume locket

My imp is a decant from the lovely PhantasmMystera. In the imp: The oil is a light, bright yellow color with a golden-brown sediment at the bottom - mix well before using. The scent does remind me of snow, clean linen, and maybe some citrus? It's difficult to pin down, but lovely. On me, wet: A camphoraceous note (eucalyptus? or pine?) comes out right away, that I didn't get in the imp. It's sharp, but not overpoweringly so, and it blends quite nicely with the citrus-y note. The linen is here, too, although to me it smells freshly-washed-and-ironed rather than dusty. So far I'm not noticing any rose, although there's something here that's more feminine that the pine and citrus would indicate. After 10 minutes: Ah, there's the rose, beautifully complementing the clean linen and pine. There's still that fruity note that is either too faint or too unusual to identify as lemon, grapefruit, orange, etc - just a gentle impression of citrus. I notice that one reviewer mentioned red berry - that could be another possibility. It's too subtle to tell for sure. After 20 minutes: All of the same notes are still present, but the clean linen one is quickly taking over. It isn't a generic fabric softener scent - something very similar, but so much nicer. The other notes add some gorgeous nuances. I don't get any dust note at all, and the rose is very delicate, fading into the background of the clean linen scent. After 30 minutes: The camphoraceous pine is gone, leaving the exceptionally beautiful clean linen blended fragrance. There is something about this that is indeed very pure and innocent, evocative of a little girl. In fact, a little girl could wear this, but somehow it's not too childish for a grown woman. It doesn't make me think of the little match girl, though (one of my favorite stories as a child - it always made me cry.) This little girl is cared for very well indeed - tenderly and lovingly, with her clothes so freshly washed and ironed. After 1 hour: Same as above, but lighter. From then on, the fragrance remains consistent as it gradually fades away. The longevity is about average for a BPAL. This is going on my wishlist for a full bottle! My rating: 4 stars

My imp is a decant from the lovely PhantasmMystera. In the imp: Honey, fig, and patchouli are what I smell in the imp. Maybe with a bit of rose. On me, wet: On me, I smell the same notes from the imp, and the jasmine as well. For once, the jasmine doesn't take over like it usually tends to do. All of the notes are superbly balanced and blend together very beautifully. I don't notice the almond, unless it might be the almond flower rather than the nut (and the adjective "white" leads me to think that it is, since all almond nuts are the same color as far as I know.) After 10 minutes: The throw has already lightened up considerably, and the notes are merging into a designer fragrance in which it is difficult to identify any specific ingredients except a mild jasmine (slightly soapy, as jasmine always is.) So jasmine did emerge as the primary note, but not in such strength that it cancels everything else out. Besides the blended designer scent and the jasmine, I can also pick out just a touch of patchouli if I think about it. This is an intriguing and very unique floral perfume, difficult to describe. After 20 minutes: Jasmine is still the main identifiable note, but as it fades I can again detect the honey and fig. There's a pleasant, almost clove-like, spiciness from the patchouli. I can notice rose if I really try, but mostly it blends in with the jasmine. The same may be true for the white almond - I can't tell since I don't know what almond flowers smell like. It is elegant, ethereal, and light - perfect for something like a tea party or church. After 30 minutes: Same as above. After 1 hour: Enough of the jasmine (and other florals) is gone that the honey and fig notes are now equal to it. After 3 hours: The jasmine and most of the other notes have evaporated, leaving the honey and fig. After 9 hours: There is still a distinct presence of a beautiful, natural, honey scent. Verdict: Very amiable and lovely! And long-lasting as well. I do want to get a full bottle. My rating: 4 stars

My imp is a decant from the lovely PhantasmMystera. In the imp: The oil is clear and is a beautiful and unusual pinkish-copper color. My initial impression of the scent is peppery mums and carnations, with dry leaves. On me, wet: For the first few seconds, it is the same as in the imp. Then the rose note shows up and the scent becomes sweeter. There is a nice equal balance between the peppery florals/leaves and the sweeter rose. After 4 minutes: This blend changes quickly in the first few minutes. Now the rose, together with the clean white linen, is dominating. But the peppery flowers are holding their own. After 15 minutes: Now the peppery mums and carnations have taken over, especially the mums. There's even that slight skunkiness that mums have - maybe it's the skin musk. The clean linen in the background balances that. After 20 minutes: In another sudden change, the overall fragrance is quickly turning perfumey. It's clean linen/perfumey, with the peppery flowers still there in the background. The skunkiness/skin musk was short-lived and is now completely gone. After 30 minutes: Pretty much the same, except that the notes are now blending more, and the bit of peppery sharpness is settling down. Both of these things make the fragrance seem softer. I can detect the skin musk again just a little, and now also a very faint hint of clove from the carnations. After 1 hour: This just keeps on getting lovelier. It's now mostly perfumey clean linen, perhaps with some rose and definitely some clove-like carnation which keeps this from smelling anything remotely like dryer sheets. The peppery mum is almost gone, and I'm starting to pick up the first wisps of the amber bottom note. After 2 hours: The same beautiful scent, but faded. After 3 hours: Very subtle, clean linen and amber. After 4 hours: Pretty much gone. Verdict: Interesting and unusual floral scent that gets better and better as it lingers on my skin. It doesn't go through the dramatic total changes that some blends do, but it is constantly changing in smaller ways, veering back and forth like a teeter-totter from one note to another. Although not an absolute top priority, I would really like to get a full bottle if I can afford it. My rating: 4 stars

Wild hemlock and juniper berries scattered in the snow beneath leafless trees bedecked with glittering icicles. My 2011 imp is a decant from Mellifluous. In the imp: Oil is an orangey-brown, and contains threads of brown sediment - mix well before using. It smells like juniper berries with pine. On me, wet: When exposed to air (on the wand and on my skin), the scent becomes much sharper - a pungent, balsamic pine. It does smell like an evergreen forest in the cold of winter. After 10 minutes: Pine and juniper. There's something else, but it is so overpowered by the evergreens that I can't smell it enough to identify it. Maybe something a little foody? Perhaps it's the vanilla that some reviewers have mentioned. After 20 minutes: The sharpness is settling down, which allows the mystery note to come out just a little more. It's almost cake-like, with some vanilla and sweetness. And maybe a bit of fruit. It reminds me of pineapple upside-down cake. Yeah: Christmas tree and juniper berries, with a hint of pineapple upside-down cake. Strange, but pleasant enough. After 30 minutes: The same. This is a unisex blend, leaning towards the masculine. At about 45 minutes: The pine and juniper notes vanished very suddenly and almost completely! The scent is now all vanilla and pineapple upside-down-cake, and thus unisex rather than masculine. How interesting is that? It's a bit plastic-y - like artificially-scented plastic toys, but my skin always does that to vanilla and fruity notes. After 1 1/2 hours: All vanilla with a hint of pineapple. Not even a trace of the evergreens remains. After 2 1/2 hours: A gentle and plastic-y vanilla note lingers. Verdict: This is two perfumes in one. For the first 45 minutes, it's a masculine Woods in Winter. Then it totally transforms, into a foody vanilla and pineapple-upside-down cake scent. Neither one is really my kind of thing (I prefer feminine florals), but this is pleasant enough, especially the evergreen top notes. I'm not sure how the cake scent relates to the concept of Woods in Winter, but never mind. The initial fragrance is so evocative of winter, and the transformation so intriguing, that this deserves four stars at least. I don't need a bottle, but I will keep and use the imp. My rating: 4 stars

My imp of the 2011 version is a decant from Mellifluous. In the imp: Oil is clear and a golden yellow. There are traces of a brownish sediment at the bottom of the imp - mix well before using. It smells exactly like its color: butterscotch hard candies. "Way too foody for me," is my first impression. On me, wet: Still butterscotch candy, although the scent is a bit more complex and nuanced on my skin. I can pick out the grapes and pomegranate in the background. As it dries, the butterscotch begins to fade and I can better smell the fruits and especially the cake. After 10 minutes: This has morphed a lot in the last 10 minutes. The butterscotch is gone. The foodiness has toned down considerably, and I am beginning to pick up the non-foody notes of myrrh, frankincense, and olive leaves. I like it better now. After 20 minutes: The incenses and leaves are now balancing out the cake and fruits nicely. The spiciness of the frankincense is evident, which livens up the blend. After 30 minutes: The cake, myrrh, and frankincense notes have merged seamlessly into an unusual designer scent in which it is difficult to identify any particular note. Nice! It has already faded into a more subtle, lean-in-close kind of perfume. After 1 hour: Not foody at all anymore. The frankincense has developed a gentle bite of spiciness which is stronger than the food notes. But it's still a designer blend rather than an incense-y one. The cake note serves to tone down the incense, and the overall effect is unusual and quite lovely. After 2 hours: Delicate and perfumey, with incense notes. Verdict: I'm glad I gave this a chance. I liked it much better than I thought I would, based on my initial impression of overwhelming foodiness. The foodiness lightens up considerably after the first 20 minutes, and from then on this is quite nice. I don't need a bottle (I'm more of a florals person), but I'll keep and enjoy the imp. Reminder to myself - don't wear this in the scent locket! I don't want to smell like butterscotch candy all day! My rating: 2 stars for the first 10 minutes 4 stars after 20 minutes on my skin

This perfume is a traditional Roman Catholic sacramental incense, most often used during a Solemn Mass. Traditionally, five tears of this incense, each encased individually in wax that has been fashioned into the shape of a nail, are inserted into the paschal candle. This is, of course, represents the Five Wounds of Our Risen Savior. Symbolically, the burning of the incense signifies spiritual fervor, the fragrance itself inspires virtue, and the rising smoke carries our prayers to God. My imp is a decant from Mellifluous. ETA: I have the 2011 version. In the imp: Oil is clear and a dark orange color, like medium-dark amber. It smells (surprise, surprise) like incense, perhaps with a touch of patchouli. On me, wet: The scent is warm and dignified. Besides the hint of patchouli, there is also a very faint trace of pine or some such balsamic note, and some sweetness that is almost floral. I don't recognize this incense at all - it is something completely unfamiliar to me (having been raised as a Protestant.) I have been to Christmas Eve Midnight Mass services a couple of times, as well as funeral masses, but don't remember anything like this. Nor have I smelled anything similar in headshops or with any of the many kinds of incense I've burned at home. I am surprised that I don't detect the familiar notes of frankincense and myrrh. Very intriguing. And yes, it does evoke a spiritual mood. As if it should not be worn casually, but reserved for sacred occasions and rituals. After 10 minutes: The sweetness/floral note has strengthened. In fact, this is considerably sweeter and more flowery than most incense, even ones with floral names. It's almost cloying. It's possibly rose, but strange - something quite different from the typical tea rose scent. It makes me think yellow rose. Thirty years ago I used to have a fragrance oil that smelled exactly like this, and I think it was called Yellow Rose. And perhaps there's another floral as well: could it be lily? - the heavy scent of funeral wreaths? It has an aspect approaching the sweetness of decay. This is not at all what I expected! After 20 minutes: I don't smell the incense, patchouli, or pine-like notes at all anymore, just the heavy floral sweetness. It makes me think of a funeral mass rather than the Christmas Eve Midnight Mass. After 30 minutes: The cloying sweetness has settled down, and now it smells more like natural flowers. There's still a faint undertone of rankness, but that is a characteristic of real lilies. The flowers do make sense (if I'm right about what they are), since both roses and lilies are associated with the Virgin Mary, and lilies with funerals as well. After 1 hour: Same as above. This is still a floral perfume rather than an incense-y one. After 1 hour and 15 minutes: Ah, now I'm finally picking up the spiciness of frankincense. It provides a very lovely balance to the flowers. After 3 hours: A gentle note of incense remains. There is no trace left of the florals. Verdict: This blend has special kind of beauty that is heavy and somber. It's not a perfume to be used casually, or for work. Florals are my favorite fragrances, but even for me this is a little overpowering for about the first 30 minutes. But the concept of a most solemn and formal religious occasion is superbly realized, and this would be perfect for such an event. Use sparingly. I don't recommend wearing this in a perfume locket (due to the strength and because it is enhanced by time on the skin.) It might be amazing in an oil warmer, as a room or altar scent for rituals and other spiritual practice. Will I get a full bottle? Yes, if I can afford it. It's not one of my top priorities, but I would like a bottle if possible. My rating: 4 stars

My imp is from a decant circle. I'm glad I got the chance to try this before springing for the price of a full bottle! In the imp: Vanilla and white flowers. It's kind of a strange combination - the sweetness of the vanilla gives the florals a hint of the sweetness of decay that makes this seem the tiniest bit skanky to me. Like cut flowers that have been in the vase too long and are starting to brown and wilt. On me, wet: Slightly less sweet on me, but otherwise the same. After 10 minutes: Leaning away from the florals and more towards the vanilla. I know that this is one of BPL's most popular scents, and I usually adore florals, so maybe it's just me, but I don't like this all that much. That tinge of rankness bothers me. And I'm not a fan of vanilla, either. After 15 minutes: The scent has picked up some coconut and maybe a breath of pineapple, but is still mostly vanilla with an undertone of florals. And it has become super plastic-y, without losing any of that note of sweet decay. After 30 minutes: Little change. If anything, the note of decay has strengthened and developed a musty aspect. There's some of the marzipan that others have mentioned. It reminds me of being on a diet where I had to drink skim milk every day. I don't like milk - especially skim - so I flavored it with Equal sweetener and almond extract to make it bearable. Not a great memory. It was okay, but I'd so rather have skipped the milk and had some real marzipan instead. This gives me that same sense of artificial almond flavor. After 4 hours: The skanky note is completely gone, and most of the plastic smell as well; leaving a scent that is now 100% pleasant, but also 100% foody since the floral note has also vanished. It's mostly vanilla and coconut, with some marzipan and a hint of pineapple. After 8 hours: No further change as it gradually fades away. There is still some fragrance left on my wrist. Verdict: I don't like this. Too foody, and with that skanky "off" note as well. I won't be wearing it, but I think I will keep the imp for future reference. My rating: 1 star

My imp is a decant from the lovely Mellifluous. In the imp: Oil is clear and a dark golden yellow with a pinkish tint. The scent is woody, with a balsamic tang and a bit of peppery sharpness. It does smell amazingly like dry leaves - more of Beth's voodoo magic! On me, wet: Right at first, I get a touch of the fruitiness of the currant, which is unusual in that it isn't at all sweet or foody. Then there is the woody/balsamic/peppery fragrance that I noticed in the imp, in equal balance. This is a highly unusual and very intriguing blend. After 10 minutes: Pretty much the same, although it is settling down and losing some of the sharpness. The dominant note now is the balsamic woodiness. After 20 minutes: The same, except now with a whiff of smoke as well. I'm betting there's some vetiver in here. After 30 minutes: The currant note is becoming more defined as the woodiness settles down. But the lack of sweetness prevents this from being anywhere near a fruity scent. After 1 hour: I don't notice the currant anymore. But now there's a distinct note of cinnamon, which goes beautifully with the wood and smoke already present. The wood is mellower, having lost the pine/balsam sharpness entirely. I'm liking this even more. It's a holiday type of scent, rather than the dry leaves it was before. It has moved from autumn to winter - brilliant! After 2 hours: Cinnamon is the star, followed by wood and a touch of smoke. After 3 hours: Mostly cinnamon. After 5 hours: The cinnamon note is still noticeably there. Verdict: This is an interesting unisex fragrance at all stages, and is a brilliant concept that succeeds to an amazing extent. I like it best after the first hour, once the cinnamon note kicks in to warm up the scent and invoke a holiday spirit and pleasant memories. It's worth the price of a bottle. My rating: 4.5 stars

My imp is a decant from the lovely Mellifluous. In the imp: Oil is clear and is an unusual pinkish-orange color. The scent is a beautiful floral with a touch of redwood and currant. On me, wet: I smell the floral note first, then in just a few seconds the redwood kicks in as the strongest note, with the floral running at a close second. I can also detect the clove. This is beautiful! - an unusual floral perfume. I'm already smelling a bottle in my future . . . After 15 minutes: Peach blossom and clove, so gorgeous. After 30 minutes: Clove is now the primary note, with redwood second and the floral in the background together with a hint of fruitiness from the currant. After 1 hour: Already quite subtle. Clove, floral, a little currant. With just a touch of tobacco and musk. After 2 hours: Almost gone. All that remains is a breath of clove. Verdict: In spite of the tobacco, hemp, and spice, this is a feminine scent due to the predominance of the floral note. It is beautiful and unique, but doesn't last long on the skin. Reapply often, or wear a scent locket. My full bottle has already been ordered! My rating: 5 stars

My imp is a decant from the lovely PhantasmMystera. In the imp: ZOMG, love at first whiff! . . . An utterly gorgeous floral fragrance with honeysuckle and magnolia in the forefront and rose in the background. (I don't know what the other flowers smell like, so I can't ID them.) And just sweet enough without being too sweet. Swoon-worthy perfection! On me, wet: The rose is strongest at first, and within seconds the other florals kick in to create a heavenly balanced blend. This is going on my "Very Top Faves" shortlist right now. After 10 minutes: No change. This is not overpoweringly strong, as can sometimes happen with an all-florals blend. It is sheer elegance and femininity. It makes me think of the American South, especially sultry summer evenings in New Orleans - that must be the magnolia and honeysuckle. After 30 minutes: Magnolia is now the star, although the other flowers are still present as well. The scent has already become fairly subtle. After 1 hour: As lovely as ever. After 2 hours: Almost gone. Verdict: Drop-dead gorgeous floral fragrance. But short-lived on the skin - reapply often or wear it in a scent locket. I MUST have a full bottle of this. And hopefully even a couple of extra bottles for backup if I can afford it . . . My rating: 5+ stars

My imp of Yule 2011 is a decant from Mellifluous. In the imp: Oil is clear and a bright, vibrant, golden yellow. The scent is pleasant and very complex, with an unidentifiable sweet fragrance right at first, and then the piney note of juniper and an undertone of incense. On me, wet: The juniper dominates, with a lemony scent - probably the verbena - coming in second. Lemon Pine Sol cleanser does come to mind, but this is less pungent and far more complex, although I can't specifically identify any of the other notes. After 10 minutes: The lemon has edged out the juniper for first place, but this isn't your typical fruity lemon scent. It has a dry, woody aspect. That could partly be the juniper influencing it, but there's something else as well - perhaps the hemp and/or the thyme? I don't know what holly berry or mistletoe smell like, so I can't tell if I'm smelling those. There may be a very subtle nuance of florals, but this is not at all a floral-type fragrance; and I don't notice any rose at all. After 20 minutes: Pretty much the same. The lemon is developing a tiny hint of spiciness that may be the frankincense kicking in. After 30 minutes: The spiciness I noted earlier has now turned a bit rank and musty, but it's faint enough not to make the overall scent (which is still mostly lemon) unpleasant. After 1 hour: It's almost a chemical smell now, something like the smell of new vinyl, although the lemon and juniper are still perceptible if I think about it. As is the thyme, now. After 1 1/2 hours: Not so chemical anymore, but still kind of strange. Juniper and thyme, with a bit of lemon verbena. After 2 hours: Same as above. After 3 hours: Nothing left but a ghostly trace of frankincense. Verdict: Unisex. It's pleasant enough, but not really my thing. It doesn't smell like the Yule season to me, due to the lemon which I associate with summer. It brings up images of drinking lemonade during summer picnics in the juniper forests of northern Arizona. I liked it best during the first 10 minutes, when the juniper was the main note rather than the lemon. I'll have to try it in the scent locket, to extend the juniper top note. My rating: 3 and a half stars

My imp is a decant from the lovely Alethia. In the imp: Clear, colorless oil. The scent is mostly a buttery vanilla, with a little rose. On me, wet: The rose note comes out more strongly on my skin, which I like. Right now, the rose and vanilla/butter notes are about equal. I'm not sure I like the combination, it's a little plastic-y. I'll see what happens. On me, just dried: The rose becomes more and more dominant as the oil dries. I'm really liking this a lot now. The rose is very fresh and natural - so as it takes over, the plastic note is fading into the background. This doesn't seem like a chilly scent at all to me. The vanilla and butter make it seem warm and cozy. After 10 minutes: I really love this now. The rose and vanilla have achieved a lovely balance, with rose as the main note. After 20 minutes: The fresh rose has lightened up, making this plastic-y again. After 1 hour: Alas, all plastic. It doesn't smell like either rose or vanilla. A couple of days later: When I tried this in the scent locket . . . violá, no plastic. The plastic-y note was clearly an artifact of of my skin chemistry. I loved this in the locket! The fresh rose scent was stronger and longer-lasting, with the vanilla as more of an accent rather than a main note, which made the overall fragrance less foody and thus much more appealing to me. In the locket, the scent that I had loved on my skin at the 10-minute mark, was retained for the entire day. This might be a bottle-worthy blend after all - for wearing in the scent locket rather than on my skin. My rating: On my skin - 2 stars In the scent locket - 4 and a half stars Later ETA: BTW, I wrote and posted my review (as always) before reading any of the other reviews, and was very amused to see that the review above mine (strahlend's) says almost exactly the same thing as my first impression!

In the vial: The scent is herbal and green - oak leaves - with wood. On me, wet: Right at first, it is sharp, medicinal, and camphoraceous - like eucalyptus. With a whiff of vanilla in the background. After 15 minutes: The eucalyptus quickly disappeared as the oil dried. It now is already completely gone, and with it, the sharpness and medicinal smell. Now the fragrance is sweeter and warmer. Wood, vanilla, hazelnut, a little earth and decay (just a touch of vetiver?) The wood note here is fairly soft. The hazelnut and vanilla are the primary notes. After 30 minutes: Pretty much the same, a bit more smoky. The notes are beautifully balanced. This is a lovely scent for cold weather. After 1 hour: Vanilla, earth, and wood; in that order of strength. After 2 hours: Same as above, but rather faint. Verdict: I really like this a lot, it is my favorite of the Lunacy blends so far. There's just something about the way the notes combine so beautifully together. And it keeps getting better and better as time goes by on the skin, until it wears off. I didn't any of the berry note at all, that some reviewers have mentioned. Which is a good thing - I don't think I would like that in this blend. My rating: 4 and a half stars