Ghost of a Rose

In the vial: Rose geranium and lemon verbena. Or lemon rose geranium. It smells like an aromatherapy blend rather than a perfume oil, as would be expected. On me, wet: More lemon, less rose. There is a slightly camphoraceous note hovering in the background - partly geranium and possibly something else as well. There's also an herbal characteristic to it. It's pleasant enough to be able to wear in public as a perfume, although personally I would prefer more rose and less lemon. After 20 minutes: The rose comes out a little more once it dries, although lemon remains the dominant note by far. It is an herbal lemon - lemon verbena or lemongrass or lemon rose geranium - rather than the lemon fruit. Although lemon isn't one of my favorite notes for a perfume, it seems very appropriate here, due to the association with the Sun. After 30 minutes: Much the same, but the lemon is becoming softer, which makes me like it more and more. There is another floral note in the background that I really like, but like the rose, it's very subtle. There may be a touch of mint. And maybe a whisper of amber. After 1 hour: I really like this now. The lemon has blended in more with the other notes and the scent is now much more complex. An incensey note has come out - the amber I noted earlier and perhaps also some frankincense. After 2 hours: Almost gone. A faint lingering whisper of amber, incense, and lemon. My rating: 4 stars

In the imp: Oil is clear and colorless. It smells exactly like men's cologne - so much so that I can't distinguish any individual notes. Men's colognes haven't changed much in the past 300 years, apparently! On me, wet: Pretty much the same, but I am getting a sense of fresh herbal greenness and orange blossom, maybe a bit of musk. Just slightly less sharp than department store men's colognes (which is a good thing in my book.) Basically a typical, generic, men's cologne. On me, just dried: Now a definite green note is evident - rosemary and moss. Some geranium, but no hint of rose to it. Just a little mint, but it's mostly providing sharpness rather than an actual minty fragrance. After 10 minutes: The same, a little softer. After 30 minutes: No change. After 1 hour: Still men's cologne, but most of the sharpness is gone. After 2 hours: Same as above. After 3 hours: Almost gone. Verdict: This all men's cologne, all of the way: too men's cologne-ish for me to actually wear. But I will keep the imp for its historical interest. I think my sons would like it, too, and I'll share it with them. It's very much like the fragrances that one of them favors. My rating: 3 stars

In the imp: Oil is clear, and brownish-golden in color. The scent is emphatically masculine: strong, dark, and metallic. On me, wet: There's something very sharp and camphoraceous in this. And maybe some patchouli and/or vetiver? Perhaps some kind of spice. Otherwise, nothing I recognize. And although it isn't a sweet scent overall, there's a note of cloying, almost skanky, beery, sweetness in the background. I totally get the dwarf connection. This is very unique - and appropriate to the concept - but I don't find it particularly pleasant. After 10 minutes: A rich soil note has come out quite strongly, which tempers the other notes and improves the scent quite a bit, and also makes it smell more leathery. But I still wouldn't wear this except maybe as a novelty. The spice is more evident. I think it's the spice and the the sharpness that gives so many reviewers the impression of men's cologne. After 30 minutes: Ah, much nicer now, and completely different from how it smelled at first and in the imp. Spice and fertile dark soil. A suggestion of smokiness. Most of the sharpness is gone, and it's now less aggressively male, more unisex. It's pleasant now, but still isn't really me, although I could wear it now and then for a change of pace. My adult son really likes it on me. After 1 hour: Now mostly spice, with a bit of smokiness and earth. After 1 hour and 15 minutes: The smokiness has taken over as the dominant scent, and the earth is mostly gone. There's still some spiciness. After 2 hours: Same as above. After 3 hours: It has become more men's cologney - Old Spice. After 10 hours: I can still smell it on my wrist. After 20 hours: I can still faintly detect it. Verdict: Ultra long-lasting, and I like all but the first 30 minutes of it. I think a guy might like it even more. Very dwarvish - especially during that first 30 minutes. Although I don't like the initial top notes, I'm still giving this a 4-star rating since that is such a small part of the life of the scent on my skin.

I love this, both the scent and the hair gloss formula! Gloss: When used on wet hair, this does add shine to my hair without making it look greasy. And the gloss helped to detangle it, too, when combing. My hair is very long 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 worked even when the detangler didn't. On wet hair, I can use much more without making my hair look greasy. (I used 8 sprays, for my very long hair.) This results in the scent being stronger and lasting longer. Like others, I've noticed that if I put it on dry hair, I should use much less to avoid a greasy look. One spritz into my hand for the right side of my hair, and one for the left side is enough, even with my long hair. Fragrance: Unisex. I like this even more than the Snake Oil one (no vanilla in this one.) I always like white sandalwood a lot, and the fig blends with it beautifully. The scent doesn't last as long as the Snake Oil one, though. Using it in greater amounts on wet hair helps, but even then it lasts no more than a day, and not nearly as long as the Snake Oil one. But if you wash your hair every day, that's long enough. My rating: 5 stars

In the vial: OMG, is this drop-dead gorgeous! Light, beautiful flowers, especially freesia, wisteria, camellia, and orange blossom. In spite of the name, the jasmine stays in the background. On me, wet: First the flowers, just as in the imp. After a few seconds, a green, herbal note develops. On me, just dried: It lightens up considerably, especially the florals; making the herbal note more prominent. After 15 minutes: Now the flowers are dominating again, but they are fairly light, not at all overpowering for such a heavily floral blend. This is bringing back vivid memories of a little frosted clear glass pot of a silky white cream (a cream perfume? a lotion?) that I adored many years ago. It might have even been something of my mom's, when I was a child. I thought it was the most beautiful thing I'd ever smelled. And I still think so, with this same scent from BPAL. After 30 minutes: Pretty much the same, but even lighter. After 1 hour: Same as above. After 3 hours: Pretty much gone. Verdict: A heavenly scent, for flower lovers only! This blend is consistent rather than a morpher. It changes only a little in the first 15 minutes, and after that, not at all. It's on my shortlist of top favorites. I have so many perfumes that I've never bought a backup bottle before, but I just have to get a couple backups of this, to make sure I don't run out if it should be discontinued. The throw doesn't last long on the skin, so slather it on, reapply often, or wear it in a scent locket if you want a stronger and longer-lasting throw. My rating: 5+ stars

In the vial: Wow, this is complex and very hard to describe, except to say that it is exotic, lovely, and sophisticated. I smell banana (fruit) first, but the incense, lilies, and candle wax kick in very quickly to keep it from being foody. The coconut (meat) is there, but very subtle. On me, wet: Much the same as in the imp, but with another note that I can't identify - it must be the betel nut. This is a little more foody than in the imp, but still not really a foody perfume, with the flowers and incense so prominent as well. After 10 minutes: Pretty much the same, except that I'm now also noticing a green/herbal note which must be the banana leaves. There's something in this that gives it almost a vanilla-like aspect, but it clearly isn't actual vanilla. After 20 minutes: The incense and candle wax are coming out more strongly, making the overall scent perfumey, elegant, and oriental. The other notes are still present, too. After 30 minutes: It hasn't changed much in the last 10 minutes except that the candle wax continues to strengthen and is now one of the most dominant notes. After 1 hour: The incense is the strongest note now, with the lilies in second place. All of these changes are pretty subtle - this fragrance doesn't really morph. Instead, different notes dominate at different times, but they are all there all of the time so it is always fairly consistent. After 1 1/2 hours: Naturally, since I said that, it did suddenly decide to change. Up close, the scent is now mostly candle wax. But the consistent scent is still there in the throw, and in the background when sniffed up close. After 2 hours: Back to the more consistent scent. Perhaps the temporary change was due to a change in the room temperature, which did occur before I adjusted the thermostat. After 3 hours: The scent is quite faint. After 4 hours: It is pretty much gone. BTW, this was an awesome match with the Fig and Sandalwood Hair Gloss (BPTP) that I also had on at the same time. The two scents have a similar mood to them, of incense and exotic fruits. My rating: 4 and a half stars

In the vial: Jasmine and honeysuckle first, then some black tea (yay! I've been ISO a true BPAL black tea scent, unsuccessfully until now) with a little nectarine. On me, wet: At first, I just get the strong florals. I love florals, so that would actually be fine with me. After a minute or so, the nectarine and black tea notes come in just a little. Which makes this even better - a bit of complexity and interest added to the florals. I can barely detect the rose - it's getting swamped (pun intended, haha - this is a New Orleans blend after all) by the stronger jasmine and honeysuckle. After 10 minutes: Honeysuckle is strongest, then jasmine, rose, and nectarine; in that order of strength. I'm not noticing the tea anymore. No clove or cedarwood so far. After 20 minutes: The overall scent is gentler, and the florals are blending together more equally. And I'm just starting to detect the teeniest hint of clove. After 30 minutes: Even more beautiful. The florals are now perfectly balanced into an elegant classic-style perfume, with a bit of nectarine. The clove is still barely there. After 1 hour: Same as above. There might be just a faint whisper of cedar in the background, but it's not really a definite note, more just a nuance. After 2 hours: Quite faded, and now mostly a generic classic perfume scent. After 3 hours: Same as above, very faint. Verdict: I wouldn't call this either a rose-based or a black tea-based blend, as neither have a strong presence. That is a little disappointing since those are my two favorite notes in this. But it's not a huge big deal, as this is a lovely and elegant floral perfume anyway. I want to try it in my scent locket to see if it would retain the black tea note longer. My rating: 4.5 stars (rounded to 5 in Stash Manager)

In the imp: Oil is clear, and is a deep reddish amber color. The scent is super-sweet honey, almost floral in character. On me: For a while, I mostly smelled the honey, with just a bit of vanilla and amber in the background. It is a golden-brown kind of scent, and so sweet that to my tastes it is a little cloying. But still pleasant, and all three of the notes complement each other beautifully. Later on in the drydown, the amber takes over as the dominant note and I like it even more. The vanilla is there, but is never the main note, which is another thing I like about this. The throw and longevity are about average for a BPAL. My rating: 4 stars

In the imp: Oil is clear and a light bright yellow color. It's a beautiful rain scent, with just the faintest nuance of mint - not sharp at all. On me, wet: A bit men's-cologney at first, but not aggressively so. Aquatic. Just a teeny bit of ozone. More minty than in the imp, but still not sharp or overpowering. On me, just dried: As this dries, it loses the men's-cologne note and out comes the gorgeous rain scent that I noticed in the imp. After 10 minutes: Very light, beautiful rain scent. The mint, men's cologne, and ozone are virtually gone, at least as discernible separate notes. (I can still get a faint minty/ozoney sharpness if I sniff my wrist really hard and really close.) This now reminds me of Love's Fresh Rain scent, which I loved as a teenager. After 20 minutes: Same as above. After 30 minutes: Extremely light and subtle rain scent. All of the mint and sharpness is gone now, although there is still the faintest whiff of ozone. After 1 hour: Pretty much gone. After 12 hours: This was so soft and light that I expected it to wear off quickly, and I thought it did. But as it turns out, I am surprised to realize that I can still smell it very faintly on my wrist. I would still reapply after 1 hour because it gets so weak, or wear it in a perfume locket. But it is interesting how long it actually lasted! Verdict: I love, love, love this; but it is very subtle and the throw is short-lived. Wear some in a perfume locket as well as on the skin for more throw and longevity. My rating: 5 stars

In the vial: This smells very grassy - green and herbal. It reminds me a lot of The Queen's Croquet Ground room spray from the Trading Post. On me, wet: Same as above. After 10 minutes: It has now developed notes of wood and a peppery spice. And . . . a very realistic dry leaves scent - how do they do that? The grass has taken a back seat to these new notes, but it is still a definite presence. After 20 minutes: Now completely dry, the scent has become much softer, and the wood note has developed a bit of smokiness. After 30 minutes: Smoky wood, dry leaves, and peppery spice. The grassy note is completely gone. After 1 hour: Rather faint, but still there. It's sweet, mostly smoky wood with a little pepper. After 2 hours: Pretty much gone. Verdict: I like this a lot, but it doesn't last very long. Wear it in a scent locket as well as on the skin. My rating: 4 stars

In the vial: I smell lavender and incense especially; also musk, and amber. On me, wet: The first thing I notice is the mild sweet fruitiness of fig. Then a bit of wood. Within a few minutes the lavender begins to come out. After 10 minutes: Mostly lavender, with a little musk and perhaps some violet; soapy but pleasant. After 20 minutes: Lavender incense. This is the truest, most realistic incense note I've smelled from BPAL (or in any perfume, for that matter.) It's the beautiful scent that incense has before you light it and the smokiness takes over. To me, the smoke never lives up to the fragrant promise of the unlit incense. This perfume vividly captures the best part. The incense note has become strong enough to counteract the soapiness that the scent had for a little while. After 1 hour: Softer, still lavender incense, with musk. After 2 hours: The scent is almost gone. Just the faintest whiff of amber and perhaps fig, is discernible. Verdict: This is a beautiful fragrance, but not a long-lasting one. I never did notice the black currant note. I can't tell if the ambergris was noticeable, since I don't know what it smells like. I'll wear this in my perfume locket to make it last longer. My rating: 4.5 stars

My imp is a decant from schackjj, The Goddess of Decanters (to borrow a quote from another participant in our decant circle.) In the imp: Oil is a bright orangey amber. The scent is sweet, with spices and copal. On me, wet: On me, it's even sweeter. The strongest note is an acidic tang that seems almost fruity, like some kind of citrus - but not anything I recognize. I can pick out a breath of florals that isn't specifically rose. The tobacco and resin are there, but just as the faintest of undertones to warm up the scent. I don't notice any wood so far. After 10 minutes: The rose is now a definite and stronger presence, running a close second to the fruity note. That's puzzling me, since no fruits are listed in the description. (Agave nectar doesn't count, since it doesn't smell fruity - I don't even know if it comes from the fruit of the plant. I use it in place of sugar as a sweetener for cold drinks because it dissolves easily, but like sugar, it adds no flavor or scent of its own.) And there's almost a jasmine-type note to the florals. But it's gentle, without the sharpness or soapiness usually associated with jasmine. After 20 minutes: Both the tangy-ness and most of the spices are gone. Now it's mostly florals (again, not identifiably rose but closer to jasmine. The actual rose note only lasted for about 10 minutes and even then was rather subtle.) There's still some of that mysterious fruitiness which has now turned rather artificial and plastic-y. I can barely smell a bit of the resiny copal in the background. After 30 minutes: Same as above. I do notice that when sniffed from a few inches away instead of right up close, I can still smell the spices and the floral note is a bit rosier. But there, too, it has an aspect reminiscent of super-sweet Strawberry-Shortcake-doll. After 45 minutes: The fruitiness is fading, and taking the artificial/plastic-y note with it. That allows the rose and spices to come out more, and I'm liking the scent better. After 1 hour: Much the same as above - mostly spices, with a bit of rose. A subtle backdrop of tobacco is supporting them and warming up the overall scent. Clearly there are other notes present, adding interest and nuance; but my nose isn't sophisticated enough to specifically identify them. After 2 1/2 hours: The scent is pretty faint, and is mostly spice, with something sweet and unidentifiable in the background. After 3 1/2 hours: There is still some fragrance left, now primarily tobacco with some clove, warmer and more beautiful than ever. After 12 hours: Wow, I can still smell this. It is soft, but still clearly tobacco and spice. Verdict: This might not be perfect, but it's still a 5-star fragrance in my book. And very long-lasting, as well. I must have a full bottle!

In the imp: Oil is clear, and is an unusual pinkish-beige color. I notice the spices first, then the patchouli, then wood and fir needles. It's rather sweet, and gentler than I would expect (with all those balsam and spice notes.) In looking at the description just now I noticed that it also uses a form of the word "gentle." Yep, the lab obviously got that one right! On me, wet: At first, it's all wood. Then the balsamy fir needles come in. I don't notice anything else at this point. On me, just dried: The spices take over as the main note, so that now it smells like it did in the imp. It's sharper, spicier, hotter on me, yet still not aggressively so. A great scent for energizing and warming oneself on a cool autumn night. After 10 minutes: The balsam of the fir needles is equal to the spice now, with wood running at a close third. It is quite sweet, which is part of the reason this is gentler than these notes usually are. I'm starting to pick up some apple, too, which further sweetens and gentles this. There's also a hint of a medicinal mentholic note, but it too is mild. It's probably the camphoraceous aspect of the fir needles. After 20 minutes: It just keeps on getting better and sweeter! Now the apple is strong enough to balance the clove and fir; and they are a gorgeous combination. I suspect that the mullein is there, but blending in seamlessly with the spices. I can detect the patchouli, but only if I think about it. Ditto for the pumpkin. After 30 minutes: The fir note has faded somewhat, leaving the clove, apple, and wood at center stage. It reminds me a lot of Samhainophobia, but with the apple replacing the smokiness of the vetiver in that scent. This would be better for work for that reason. I love them both and can't decide between them. I might have to get a bottle of each. After 1 hour: Now mostly a sweet wood scent, with some apple and clove. After 2 hours: Apple, clove, and wood; in that order of strength. After 3 hours: Same as above and still going strong. After 4 1/2 hours: It is lighter, but still has a definite presence and a little throw. Now mostly clove and wood. Verdict: A great unisex and/or work fragrance, especially during the fall and winter. All of the notes go together so beautifully. I do want a full bottle. My rating: 4.5 stars

In the imp: Oil is clear and amber-colored. I smell the green scents (moss, violet leaf, and sage), then a bit of fruit. On me, wet: A beautiful fresh note of saltwater. Then the green scents, violet, and fruit. I can imagine the specks of bone as well. Very flowery and sweet. After 10 minutes: Pretty much the same. So far, the fruits are just a hint in the background, which is just the way I like them. After 20 miinutes: Ooh, really beautiful now. Violets! After 30 minutes: The violet note has backed down, and the fragrance is less sweet now. There's a bit of saltiness again. I'm not sure how to describe it. It's no longer really flowery, but nothing else stands out either, as a note that characterizes the scent. Maybe it's just a blend of everything in equal balance. It is mild and pleasant - would be a good choice for a woman to wear to work. After 1 hour: Similar to above, but now I can faintly detect the fruits and the tobacco. After 2 hours: Tobacco is now the strongest note, with some faint florals and fruits, and a hint of other things in the background. After 3 hours: Just a gentle breath of tobacco and perfume. Verdict: Since the violet note is strongly present only for a short time, this isn't quite enough of a realistic floral scent to make it into my 5-star category. Nevertheless, it is very pretty, and comes close. My rating: 4.5 stars

In the vial: The scent is cheesecake, honey, and lavender; in that order of strength. Yum! I wish I could eat this! On me, wet: The lavender and cheesecake are fairly equal, with the honey not far behind. On me, just dried: Much of the honey has already floated away, leaving mostly lavender with some cheesecake. It's considerably less sweet than when wet. After 10 minutes: Some of the sweetness has returned as the lavender dries down., and a bit of the honey. But it's not as distinctly honey as it was before. Mostly a general sweetness at first, then honey and cheesecake, then lavender. After 20 minutes: Mostly cheesecake, then honey, and a hint of lavender. After 30 minutes: Cheesecake and honey; and it has gone just a little plastic-y . After 1 hour: Same as above, except that the honey is now equal to or even a little stronger than the cheesecake. After 1 1/2 hours: Same as above. The honey is a beautiful warm, gentle, note that wafts around me like a cloud. The plastic-y note is evident only if I sniff with my nose right up next to my skin. After 2 hours: Now pretty much all honey, and the plastic-y note is completely gone. After 2 3/4 hours: A mild vanilla scent. After 4 hours: A faint vanilla that has gone plastic-y again, but it's too faded to matter anyway. Verdict: I'll wear this in the scent locket to make the top notes last longer - especially the lavender, and the realistic cheesecake scent that this has when fresh. This is very nice, but a little too foody (for my preferences) to be a 5-star fragrance. My rating: 4 stars Later ETA: In the perfume locket, It does retain the lavender note, and the realistic cheesecake, even after 24 hours. It's less foody in the locket, because of the way the lavender sticks around. Wear it on the skin as well, to bring out the honey note.

My imp is a decant from schackjj, The Goddess of Decanters (to borrow a quote from another participant in our decant circle.) In the imp: Oil is clear and light brown with a sort of pinkish tinge. The scent is patchouli and clove with the smokiness of vetiver. It's an inspired combination. On me, wet: A strong and pleasant woodiness dominates everything, but the patchouli/clove/vetiver are all vying for the starring role. This is a beautiful unisex scent. On me, just dried: The balsams come out more as it dries, and they too are an excellent match with the other notes. Otherwise it is much the same. After 15 minutes: The clove is now strongest, with wood and balsam right behind it; and then the patchouli and vetiver. I do get a bit of a dry leaves note as well. I'm surprised by how much I really, really like this. I'm usually a florals kind of person. But all of these notes just go so amazingly well together to make this a very special blend. I'm thinking I'm gonna "need" a whole bottle. After 30 minutes: The wood and clove are about equal, and the wood is the lovely, comforting, fresh-cut lumber kind. The overall fragrance has sweetened up just a little, probably from the patchouli, although it is rather subtle in this blend. And now I can smell an undertone of geranium as well, which is probably contributing to the freshness of the lumber note. After 3 hours: Clove, wood, and geranium. Still beautiful, and still going strong. Although the clove remains a distinct presence, it is gentler and sweeter than it was in the imp. After 8 1/2 hours: Lighter, but still as strong as some scents are when freshly applied! My rating: 4 1/2 stars

In the imp: Oil is clear and a bright sunny yellow. I smell a mild rose just at first, then it is quickly overwhelmed by ylang ylang, jasmine, and black currant. On me, wet: Strong jasmine is all I can smell at first. After a moment, an ozone note comes in nearly as strongly. I have no idea where that comes from. The combination of two such aggressive notes is a little much for me. I prefer the gentler scent of realistic flowers. But of course this is still wet and at its strongest. I'll see what happens. On me, just dried: It did calm down, but I'm still not sure if I like the jasmine/ozone pairing - both are such sharp notes. After 15 minutes: The ylang ylang has come in, which helps some. But the ozone is the strongest note. After 30 minutes: Ozone, ylang ylang, and jasmine. After 45 minutes: Although ozone is still the star of this show, some of the sharpness is dying down, and more sweetness is coming out together with a hint of the rose. After 1 hour: Ozone, ylang ylang, jasmine, a little rose, and now I'm getting some of the black currant, more strongly than the rose (but not as strongly as the ozone/ylang ylang/jasmine.) After 1 1/2 hours: The sharpness of the ozone note is mostly gone, and a little vanilla is peeking through. Everything else is the same. After 2 hours: Mostly black currant, which has gone a bit plastic-y, as many red fruits tend to do on my skin eventually. After 3 hours: Same as above, but pretty faded. After 3 1/2 hours, it is almost completely gone. The first time I wore this, I hadn't looked up what oils were in it. After a few hours, I noticed a mild cloud of vanilla wafting from my wrist. Interestingly, I barely noticed the vanilla at all when I was paying close attention for this review. In any case, the vanilla is mild enough and balanced enough with other notes that I like it in this blend. (I don't like strong vanilla fragrances.) I never did notice the opium tar, but then I wouldn't know it even if I did smell it. Verdict: Although I'm ambivalent about the jasmine/ozone combo, it isn't necessarily unpleasant and the ozone is mostly gone after the first 45 minutes. Plus, this is so unique and intriguing that it gets some extra bonus points. So I'm giving it 4 stars. (Edited to correct a typing error.)

My imp is a decant from schackjj, The Goddess of Decanters (to borrow a quote from another participant in our decant circle.) In the imp: The artwork is adorable! Oil is clear and nearly colorless, with just the faintest tinge of ivory. The first thought I have when I sniff the imp is, "Butter." I don't know where that comes from! Except for some honey, nothing else is specifically identifiable. One thing for sure, though - this is unabashedly foody. And nothing at all like pumpkin pie. On me, wet: The butter is again the first thing I smell, but now it is more defined: the butter in a graham-cracker pie crust. And pumpkin. Then the tiare, strong enough to restrain the foodiness of the blend. Which makes me like it a lot more than I did in the imp. It also still keeps this from being pumpkin pie in spite of the pie crust. On me, just dried: The tiare is now strongest, but not by much. The butter, honey, and pumpkin are giving it a run for the money. In the background, I notice the currant, and definitely the guava (which I love.) This is really interesting, not just a straightforward foody fragrance. No chocolate or amber so far. Vanilla might be in there, but it behaves itself, blending in seamlessly with the pie crust note. I don't expect to smell meringue, since it doesn't really have much of a smell other than sugary. After 10 minutes: The guava and red currant are the stars now, with the buttery note a strong supporting actor. The tiare is still there, and I'm starting to pick up the vanilla a little. After 20 minutes: The amber is beginning to come in strongly, making this mostly a fruits-and-amber scent, and more perfumey. After 30 miinutes: Save as above. After 1 hour: The fruits have gone plastic-y, as they always tend to do eventually on my skin. But there are the warm amber and vanilla notes to rescue it, at least to some extent. After 2 1/2 hours: The scent is pretty much gone. My rating: 4 stars

My imp is a decant from schackjj, The Goddess of Decanters (to borrow a quote from another participant in our decant circle.) In the imp: Oil is a clear greenish yellow. Nutmeg! Nutmeg and wood. On me, wet: Pine, wood, smoke, Right at first, there's an almost camphoraceous note to it, that must come from the pine. But that quickly settles down as the oil dries. On me, just dried: Now mostly wood and smoke, with some nutmeg. After 15 minutes: Still pretty much the same, although the nutmeg is weaker. After 30 minutes: The same. The nutmeg is subtle but seems to be holding its own for now. And I notice that I smell the nutmeg more from a few inches away than when sniffing right up close to my wrist. After 1 hour: Mostly smoke and wood, but the sandalwood and frankincense are starting to come in more strongly. After 1 1/2 hours: The incenses are starting to creep up on the wood and smoke. After 4 1/2 hours: The spiciness of the frankincense and sandalwood are the main note now, with some lingering wood and smoke. After 8 hours: I can still smell a little wood and smoke. Verdict: A nice unisex-to-masculine blend. I never did notice any herbal note of chamomile. Once the nutmeg note is gone (which happens pretty quickly), this is a pleasant but generic BPAL wood/smoke scent. I'll wear it in a scent locket to retain the more distinctive nutmeg top note. My rating: 4 stars

My imp is a decant from schackjj, The Goddess of Decanters (to borrow a quote from another participant in our decant circle.) In the imp: Oil is clear and colorless. The scent is a beautiful, complex, floral, with a green herbal backdrop to it (the green pepper.) I have no idea what several of the things listed smell like, so this should be very interesting! On me, wet: Florals and wood with a somewhat starchy, foody, sweetness (perhaps the yam and bean?), and an undertone of rich, healthy soil. It's a green, fresh, kind of scent. And there's an almost aquatic note to it, but not the sharp astringent kind. This is sweeter, gentler, more feminine. I'm guessing that's another aspect of the green pepper. This is gorgeous and sophisticated. I'm really loving it. After 15 minutes: Now pretty much all fresh-cut flowers including the herbal greenery of their stems. But if I try really hard, I can still get the subtle nuance of the foody sweetness. It's impossible to describe. The note isn't super foody, not like vanilla or fruits or nuts. It's very subtle. Like cooked yams, before you put all the other stuff on top. It makes sense. After 30 minutes: The florals are strongest, with the foody sweetness coming in second. The herbal green note is much less noticeable. After 1 hour: Same as above, except that now there is an undertone of spiciness (the crysanthemum?) and the whole fragrance is fairly faint. After 2 hours: Mostly florals and earth, but faint. The spiciness is gone. After 3 hours: Almost completely gone. Verdict: Beautiful, but not long lasting. Wear some in a scent locket as well as on the skin. My rating: 5 stars (Later ETA) After 15 hours in the perfume locket: The rich, dark, loam is strongest, and gives the fragrance a feeling of coolness. Then florals, and the sweet starchy foody note. There is a bit of herbal greenness, but it doesn't smell like green peppers now. All of this is backed up by a subtle undertone of cypress. It is a cool, complex, floral. It is somewhat elegant, but the earth note keeps it from being actually formal.

I love this, both the scent and the hair gloss formula! Thank you biocarolyn, for hosting the decant circle! Gloss: This does add shine to my hair without making it look greasy. And the gloss helped to detangle it, too, when combing. My hair is very long (9" past my waist) 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 worked even where the detangler didn't. Fragrance: OK, now I'm getting why Snake Oil is so popular. I'm a florals person, and I don't like vanilla-based scents, so I expected to be pretty "meh" about it. But I was pleasantly surprised. The incensey-smelling oils balance out the vanilla so that it isn't too foody; and the incense/vanilla is a gorgeous combination. I'll really be in heaven with a flower-scented hair gloss, but until then, I do like this one very much indeed! And the fragrance lasts a loooong time on my hair - 7 hours now and still going strong. I really like that. My detangler spray is scented with lavender and it smells lovely when I first put it on, but the scent vanishes quickly. I'm delighted to find a scent for my hair that sticks around. Later ETA: The fragrance lasts until I wash my hair again, but after a day, it is 100% vanilla. Like others, I've also noticed that if I put it on dry hair, I should use much less to avoid a greasy look. One spritz into my hand for the right side of my hair, and one for the left side is enough, even with my long hair. My rating: 5 stars

My imp is a decant from schackjj, The Goddess of Decanters (to borrow a quote from another participant in our decant circle.) In the imp: Oil is clear and a somewhat dark, orangey, amber color. The first thing I smell is a beautiful magnolia with honey. Within seconds, the patchouli and musk come in and take over. On me, wet: On me the musks and patchouli dominate, with a strong woody note that I am guessing comes from the kurundu (a type of cinnamon tree; also called the allspice tree.) I can just barely detect the ylang ylang; and as for the magnolia and honey that I smelled in the imp - not at all. After 10 minutes: Mostly patchouli and wood, but the florals are there in the background, now including the magnolia. After 20 minutes: From about an inch away, I get the beautiful magnolia-and-honey fragrance. Up close, I smell the patchouli and wood, along with a suggestion of cinnamon. After 30 minutes: The wood-patchouli-spice notes have now overtaken the florals again, even from a few inches away. But the florals still have some presence as supporting players. I was a little concerned about the feral musk, but there hasn't been any skankiness at all. After 1 hour: Wood, incense, cinnamon, musk, and patchouli: in that order of strength. After 2 1/2 hours: The wood, incense, and spice notes have softened enough to let the honey and musk shine again, and with them, a hint of vanilla. The overall scent is now rather faint. I want to try this in my perfume locket to see if the magnolia and honey will last longer. (Later ETA): Yes, it does. In the locket- At first: magnolia, honey, ylang ylang, a bit of patchouli and musk, and a tiny whiff of cinnamon; in that order of strength. After a few minutes, the ylang ylang takes over as the strongest note, but just barely. There's no wood note so far. After 1 1/2 hours: Mostly ylang ylang and magnolia, with some honey. After 3 hours: Still the same notes as above, plus now I'm starting to get a little patchouli and cinnamon; and maybe a bit of musk. But the ylang ylang/magnolia/honey still dominates. After 17 1/2 hours: Same as above. My rating: 4.5 stars

My imp is a decant from schackjj, The Goddess of Decanters (to borrow a quote from another participant in our decant circle.) In the imp: Oil is clear and an orangey-amber color. I smell florals first (the violet leaf?), then tea. Then a strong incensey scent takes over and overpowers everything else. On me, wet: Tea and violet (I love this part!), but with a cloyingly sweet backdrop of the incense/resin/musk. After 10 minutes: I like it more now. The overly sweet incense notes have faded more into the background. But I'd like this better if they weren't there at all. I do like those notes, it's just that they don't blend well with the tea and violet leaf. Too much sweetness. I chose this blend mainly for the tea and violets, so I'd rather do without the incenses than them. There is also a bit of peppery saffron, but it's very subtle. After 30 minutes: It is now much less sweet, but it has also lost most of the tea and violet notes that I liked. It's all incense/resin/musk. Now there's a hint of skankiness about it - perhaps from the musk? After 1 hour: Same as above, but somewhat faded. After 2 hours: Same as above, and more faded. After 3 hours: Pretty much gone. All that's left now is a pleasant but faint spicy incense note. All of the skankiness and cloyingness is gone. Verdict: I never did notice the dust note, or the wormwood (although I'm not sure what that smells like.) Maybe it's just my skin chemistry, but I don't care for the cloying notes or the hint of skankiness. Yet I did love the tea and violet leaf top notes. I'll try this in my scent locket, which tends to preserve top notes, so I might like it much better that way. And that would also eliminate any effects from my skin chemistry. Until then, my rating is 2 stars. Later: I tried this in the scent locket and loved it! The unpleasant notes I noticed on my skin were completely absent in the locket, so they were indeed due to my skin chemistry and not the scent itself. In the locket, the beautiful top notes of tea and violet stayed for over 24 hours, and never did disappear completely, even when the incensey lower notes came out. In the locket, it's a bottle-worthy 5 stars.

My imp is a decant from schackjj, The Goddess of Decanters (to borrow a quote from another participant in our decant circle.) In the imp: Oil is clear and the color is a light peachy yellow. I smell florals (not identifiably rose), musk (not identifiably lilac), and sandalwood; in that order. On me, wet: Aha, here's where the lilacs come into play. At first, that's all I can detect. After 15 minutes: Very delicate and ethereal, which seems appropriate for nymphs. Lilac and musk. I don't notice any fruitiness at all, which I would normally expect as a top note. After 30 minutes: Ooh, now a lovely gentle rose has joined the lilac, with some soft musk in the background. It's a beautiful combination. After 45 minutes: The florals have taken a back seat to the musk and incenses. But even the incense notes are delicate in this blend. After 1 1/2 hours: The frankincense has come out a little more, and I can now pick up a whiff of honey. Otherwise it is pretty much the same. After 2 hours: Not what I expected! I thought that the sandalwood and frankincense would dominate the scent in late drydown. But instead, it has gotten sweeter and softer, with the honey and musk dominating. The incenses have actually lightened up, which allows the floral notes to peek out again. After 2 1/2 hours: The honey is the strongest note, with musk coming in right behind it. At this point, I don't notice any of the other notes. After 4 hours: This is surprisingly long-lasting for a fragrance that started out so delicate. I can still smell the musk, sandalwood, and frankincense. I never did notice any of the pomegranate. But I really love this anyway! My rating: 5 stars

My imp is a decant from schackjj, The Goddess of Decanters (to borrow a quote from another participant in our decant circle.) In the imp: A clear, bright golden yellow oil. The fragrance is delicious in a non-foody sort of way, very fresh and lovely. It's spearmint first - not the heat or candy of peppermint or menthol, but a delightful sweet and light spearmint. That's balanced by the pomegranate and mulberry. In spite of the connection between pomegranates and The Underworld, this is heavenly rather than hellish to me! On me, wet: The berry is the most dominant on my skin, with the mint coming in at a close second. It reminds me of one of those desserts that they put in a pool of berry puree, garnished with a few mint leaves. But I still really like it, and I don't like many foody scents. The mint keeps it from being overwhelmingly fruity. After 10 minutes: The mint has now stolen the show, and has developed the biting green note of a fresh, torn, mint leaf. It's even more realistic than before. The fruits aren't going down without a fight - they are staying strong. After 30 minutes: Basically the same, except that the sharpness of the torn mint leaf is settling down. After 1 hour: The mint has returned to the light, sweet note it was in the imp, without any sharpness. After 1 1/2 hours: The mint is all gone. Some of the pomegranate/mulberry remains, although it has gone a bit plastic. And the myrrh is finally coming out, giving this a new, warm and incensey, note. After 3 1/2 hours: A faint note of myrrh. My rating: 4 stars