Numanoid

Just got this today... also, forgive me, I am trying to get over a cold, so I might need to edit this later! But just can't wait to dive into it!

In the bottle, there is a light chocolate to me, and something spicy... mildly spicy... smells a bit cinnamon-y.

On skin, if you have smelled/tested Pumpkin V 2009, it reminds me of that, but more of the cinnamon coming out. It isn't overpowering, but my nose might be lying to me now.

Dry down, I get more of the chocolate emerging, but it isn't crazy heavy.... it is light and the spice backs off, but still there. I don't get pumpkin from this. Doesn't last long on me...even as I am writing this, it is fading already. BUT again...might be my stuffy nose not wanting to cooperate. It is yummy and not too foody or pumpkiny.

Sniffing in the decant, yep...berries and that breakfast pancake scent.

 

On my skin, wow.. the berries POP right out! Like.. in your face! To me, the berries have a slight "syrup" quality to them. It's real good!

 

As it dries, I am not getting much pumpkin.... and a little hint of pancake, but as of now, the berry jam/syrup is taking over in a good way. Berry scents can go plastic on me, but so far, this isn't. If you like foody sweet scents, this is for you. Has good throw on me and it was only a small dab from the decant.

Got a decant of this! Sounds pretty good!

 

In the decant, i sniff a light incense and yes... I get the wine-y, grape-like scent.

 

On skin, the incense comes out immediately... and very front and center. I get the sweet, candy-ish scent behind it, but to me, I don't get sugar...or even grape really. There is something sweet, but it is a very background scent to my nose. I personally tend to amp incense blends.

 

Overall... it has a good throw to me. The incense is there and tame, so not too crazy as some can be for me. You might like this if you want an incense blend that isn't too in-your-face and you don't want anything sweet. It is a great blend...well balanced to me.

Yeah.... not getting what others are posting either, and I got my decant from the lovely Carrie above. In the decant, I don't know what I am smelling...I don't get any of the bakery/foody scents. Not even any leather... it smells like mild motor oil!!! Even on my skin...motor oil with a dash of maybe something that makes it not too icky. Very sad.... had to wash it off.

Grabbed a decant of this!! Sniffing, it is just as stated. I get a sweet rum laced vanilla. Applied, it gets more caramelized to me...the berries come out as well. It all blends very well and I get every note listed. Sadly, what I can guess is the "ice cream' part (might be vanilla) goes a wee plastic-y on me. Not too much, but a little. Has a medium throw on me.

So, what might help you, if you go to the BPAL website they have a directory with a list of like every note ever! You can click on a note (like mint) and it will pull up a list of scents that have that note in it... some scents might be discontinued ones. Then, if you see a scent that intrigues you, I would then look up that scent on the review pages here and read up on how that scent is for those that have tried it.

 

I read a lot of reviews when I first got into BPAL and they helped me to decide what I might want to try... or pass up! Hope that helps a bit.

I recommend looking up reviews on any perfumes you are interested in, or any that are suggested. It really helps in reading how a scent works (or doesn't work) on someone, so it can give you an idea if it might be something you want to try, or pass on. The review pages really helped me a lot when I first got into BPAL.

Also... I can't help with actual scents, since I am a foody lover, but if someone recommends a scent, go to read the review page on it, that way, you can get a sense of what it smells like on others and decide if that is something that works for you.

 

Imps can also smell different than in the bottle... imps are clear glass and can age quicker. Sometimes that is a good thing, sometimes not. The dark bottles keep it from aging as fast so it can smell different. Hope that makes sense!! Good luck in your search. I know you will find something you will adore!

Sniffing in the bottle... I do get the connection to El Dia Los Reyes, but lighter to me. Cocoa and cinnamon.

 

On skin, I also get a dusty cocoa, but there is something else peeking out...maybe it's the tobacco. but it almost has some sort of underlying floral to it or musk...???? The sugar cane maybe is making it smell like that?

 

Drydown on me I am not detecting caramel or coffee in it... it is nice, low throw on me, but mostly just dry cocoa and the tobacco. I was hoping this would be more foody-ish and it is a teeny bit, but not sure this is for me.

Sniffing in the decant, it smells SOO good!! Rich coffee and rum and spices!!

 

On skin, This is nice.... stays a rich and creamy rum coffee! As it dries, the anise comes out, but I only notice it when I put my nose to my wrist.

 

As it dries down, I start to notice the clove and the rum/coffee notes start to fade to the background. Boo... I get mostly allspice and clove out of this and there isn't much throw to me. Oh well...that's the way of BPAL!

In the decant, I get a blast of buttery booze... that's about it for now.

 

On my wrist, the scent settles down real fast and I get the whiskey but not much else...if I sniff real close I might get the coffee and some brown sugar, but on me, this is close to the skin and low throw. But it's still yummy.

In the decant, I get a boozy chocolate. Little hint of nuts in there too.

 

On skin, yep...very boozy like everyone else mentioned. The booze dominates right now...like I slathered a slighty sugared rum on my wrist.

 

Dry down, I don't know if I get pastriy or pancake out of this...but a little bit of hard candy comes through and if I sniff real hard, maybe the apple, but the booze is still prominent to me. I also don't get any chocolate from this while wearing. It is sweet and boozy... good throw.

I am one where strawberry notes don't seem to work... they usually go plastic OR they end up smelling like lip gloss, which is this description but I do like some leather blends... if blended well. So, got a decant to try!

 

Sniffing, I get the leather, but it is actually... kind of sharp....not sure that is the right word, but not getting any strawberry as of yet. It isn't sharp as in, IN your FACE leather, but like a fresh piece of leather cut with scissors....sharp. I know, weird

 

On skin, it does warm up and it isn't as "sharp" but still not detecting any fruit, or vanilla as mentioned above. It is lovely, for sure... I think this is very unisex.

 

After a few minutes, it stays the same...odd, because it isn't a heavy leather scent, but it isn't a soft leather either. I get a little whiff of the strawberry...if I really lean in and sniff my wrist. This is actually real lovely... if you are like me and are afraid of strawberry and leather is one you want to love but not sure, try this one!

Sniffing in the decant, I get a very pretty sweet pine-ish type smell coming out. It smells so good... let's try it on!

 

On skin: So far, this is very nice. Seems wintery to me.. and like above, I am getting a sweet pine vibe, but the pine is tame. Most can smell like pee to me!

 

Drydown: Yep.. I get the Snow Glass and Apples vibe as mentioned above. That appears as it warms up.

 

Medium throw for me....it is lovely, but not sure it's for me. Smells better in the decant than on me.

My review is sniffing this right out of the bottle straight from the mailbox. Will edit once I have it in my hair.

I get the butterscotch right away before even unwrapping the bubble wrap! Sniffing in the bottle.... it is a big 'ol blast of caramel apples and butterscotch! Being a foody/candy lover, so far, this is great!!

I get the feeling that if Sugar Slathered Candy Apple and Candy Corn Coated Candy Apple mingled, this would be the result. A definite relative of the two scents! It's rich and sweet and smells amazing!! Can't wait to try this in my hair tomorrow. Hoping it will have the same strength on as sniffing!! Love this!

 

 

Editing to add... in my damp hair.... oh boy this is sooo good!! I get full on caramel apples and butterscotch. The cardamom and hazlenut are not very prominent. but I detect a hint. This has a medium throw to me. Get this if you are a foody lover!!!

Thank you Numanoid! I had no idea the imps could age faster! They have been in an opaque black makeup bag for maybe a year now. Also did your Miskatonic bottle ever smell right on you after aging?

Well....and this is just me, but I don't have the patience to wait for a scent to age where I like it. I have to like it from beginning to end, so when it comes to, that scent, I look for the imps...that way I know I will like it. I am sure it would have, but when I test a scent from imp or bottle, I have to like it all the way through...beginning to end. Some people love their scents after waiting, but I am impatient in that area!

 

Most imps I have tried have been the same in the bottle, but that can be a big factor...just wanted to clarify. Reading reviews on scents I was interested in really helped me when I first started out... it can be overwhelming. SO many to choose from. But if you want recs, here are all my scents that I own, and I am mostly a full on foodie:

 

Snake Oil ( I love this fresh and aged)

Western Diamondback

Boomslang

Halloween in Las Vegas

Snake Skin

Yuletide

Bah!

Snake Oil Jelly Donut ( I love me my Snake Oil, can you tell?)

Snow White

Pumpkin V 2009

 

Not a huge collection compared to many other people, but these are my all time favorites!

Reading reviews really help...and just an FYI, I have learned that imps can smell different than the bottle. Seems since the imp is clear glass, it can age/go odd faster than the amber bottles. Miskatonic U is a perfect example for me.. I LOVED it in the imp, so I got a bottle and it was so wrong on me!! Also, some scents get SO MUCH better with age...like Snake Oil. Let it sit in the dark for a couple months and then re-try it.

 

But when I first got into it, it was hard finding scents I likes. Been into BPAL for going on 7 years already, and honestly, not many GC scents work for me other than Snake Oil and Poisoned Apple. I seem to only like the LE scents. Everyone's chemistry is different, so that makes it hard as well.

 

BUT I have learned to try scents with notes that I might not normally like... and I have ended up LOVING them, due to what other notes are blended with it, but pretty much, all you can do is trial and error.

 

You will find your likes and dislikes and will get to know what notes work and what doesn't. I am a foodie lover, and, for me, the ones that work the best seem to be the Halloween and Yule scents, which won't start showing up until late September. So maybe keep an eye on those.

 

I think you made great first choices....but like I said, it's hit and miss and just depends on what works for you!!

Had to try this....been wanting some orange note. No others have worked for me.

 

In decant...yep...smells like a freshly peeled orange. In fact, I smelled it before opening my package. I was worried it leaked because it was that strong!

 

On skin...stays the same, which is good. Smells like I took the orange peel and rubbed it on my skin! It's orange but it acually has that peel smell to it as well.

 

Drydown...seems to be fading quickly on me. Of course, to me at least, putting on oil from a decant is less than what I put on from a bottle, so maybe I need to try more, but overall, this is such a perfect orange scent for summer. Sweet, citus-y and light.

 

I'm first?? Ok then!

In decant, pure milk chocolate....simple as that!

On skin, very similar to The Other Hot Chocolate to me.....but, if memory serves, TOHC didn't last long on me and it had a low throw. So far, this one is a bit stronger and who doesn't love that?

Dry down, this is nice because some cocoa scents can get that dry cocoa aspect to it, but this stays pretty true to a melty chocolate on me. There is a hint of dryness, but not like other's I have tried. Medium throw on me. If you are a cocoa lover but not too happy about the dusty cocoa scent, you might like this one! Bottle worthy!

 

Ok...editing to add something. So, my son LOVES those Kinder chocolate bars. I was wearing this, he walked by me and said, "Do you have a Kinder?" I said, "No." He said, "Well, I need one now!" Guess that tells you how wonderfully chocolate this scent it!

Got my hands on a bottle of this!! So glad! The label is so cute!

 

In the bottle - there is a jelly scent....sweet but not overly. Like a marmalade. And there is that Snake Oil. Oh man... smells amazing!

 

On skin - I get the powdered covered snake oil jelly donut!! Oh man... it smells so good. I get a red fruit vibe... not exactly strawberry, but some mixed berry possibly. Luckily this doesn't go plastic on me that some red fruit scents can do.

 

Drydown - This is soooo good!! It stays true.... fried donut, jelly smeared and snake oil drizzled over it! I can imagine this will age wonderfully!! So glad I got this. Will get back-ups if it re-releases!! Thank you PUDDIN'!

 

 

Edit to add: On me, this scent doesn't last too long, but hoping with age, it will change that!! Still love it though!!!

 

 

Editing to add...since I got this, it is already aging nicely!! At first the scent didn't seem to last too long on me, but the Snake Oil is kicking in and it is getting stronger!! In a good way... it hasn't overpowered the jelly donut part!! SO YUMMY!!

Got a decant of this... I have to try anything with a coffee note in it. Love coffee scented anything!

 

In the decant I get a whiff of freashly roasted coffee, but it isn't strong. Also smell what I guess is the ambrette. I have no idea what that is supposed to smell like, but I do get a slight....perfumy vibe from it.

 

Applied, the coffee is there, but the other note gets a bit stronger on me...I wouldn't say it's an "old lady" vibe, but almost. But, looking at what I am guessing is the label art on the Lab website, it fits.

 

Not a fan of this one... the ambrette (if that is what it is) gets a little too perfumy to me. Takes over the coffee note...it's kind of there, but I have to sniff deep to detect it. Has a good throw. So, if you are looking for a coffee note that isn't too coffee strong, then you might like this one. As for me, being a foody lover, I will stick to my Bah!!

Yes, you can cancel an order. I did it once.... it was back when the CD came back. I waited over 40 days for my order when others were already getting and reselling bottles I wanted. Just e-mail the lab and/or if you went through Paypal, just request a refund through there. No issues.

I would go to the Lab's website...click on "Directory" on the top right, then you can scroll down under the list of notes... find ozone, click on that and it will pull up a lot of the Lab's oils with that note in it. I would then read up on reviews for them to see if any are close to what you are looking for!

Snffing in the bottle.... I get a sweet, sugar cookie vibe, with a hint of cherry. Not as strong as I thought it would be upon sniffing, since most cherry scents I have tested have all been in-your-FACE to me!

 

On skin: the "cherry" scent comes out...but, it isn't a cherry I know. Sometimes, cherry notes can go more Halls Cough Drop on me, but this one is...odd. A hair on the plastic-y side and a bit powdery. Maybe there is an almond note doing that. I seem to smell that in bakery scents.

 

Dry down: The cherry backs down and there is a cake/cookie like vibe I am getting, but it is still a bit on the dry/powdery side. It actually made me sneeze twice when I first applied it.

 

It is a nice gourmand scent, and I am a foody lover, but not sure this one is for me. Still hoping to find a nice cherry scent that doesn't go odd on me. Oh well. That's the way the BPAL goes!

Snffing in the bottle, yep... there is a slight saltiness to this. Salty Snake Oil, but sniffing, it isn't heavy on the salt.

 

On skin - Yep!! Salty! A little bit nutty... as listed in the notes. To me, it would be as if Snake Oil was made into a movie night snack! Something edible about it.

 

As it dries down, it stays the same... salty nutty snake oil. It is interesting. Not sure I like this one, but maybe I will let it sit for a while. BUT I can't pass up anything that has Snake Oil in it!