boomtownrat

I received a 1/3-full imp of the 2009 version of Snow-Flakes as one of the extra goodies in a package from an eBay seller. In the imp I smelled mint and cucumber. Wet on my skin, I smelled cucumber and a trace of dill... not a pickle, but separate notes. I remember what dill smells like because my mom used to make her own pickles, so for while the dill lasted it definitely wasn't violet on me. After about five minutes I smelled dill, mint, and pine. After fifteen minutes it had morphed into mint and a powdery sweet scent, maybe sugar. After almost three hours it had morphed again into a violet musk. After about five hours it was almost gone, but there were still traces of a vanilla mint that would've been nice had it appeared sooner. Snow-Flakes is a pretty and cool scent that sticks close to my skin. Five hours of wear is more than I thought I'd get out of it. It was a nice surprise and I wouldn't mind having more of it, but I don't know if I'll seek it out. Edit: I wore this again and it overpowered me even though I'd only put on the same amount as before. It threatened to give me a migraine before I washed it off. White fragrances and I often don't agree; I'm not sure what note it is that bothers me. It'll get one more chance before I decide what to do with what little is left in the imp.

Thanks for the recommendation and for the icon compliment! Those are two of the scents I was already curious about, so thanks for telling me I'm on the right track.

This is my first BPAL, so please be gentle if my review leaves something to be desired. In the imp it was hard to isolate any particular smell, maybe because I got this with three other imps in a plastic bag that, when I opened it, already had a pretty strong aroma of some/all the oils blended. When it was wet, I smelled mostly sandalwood followed by what I think was bergamot and spice (I guess that would be the nutmeg). As it dried the amber and musk began emerging, along with perhaps a bit of saffron. I'm not sure I've smelled any mandarin, but a bit less than two hours later the lingering scents are sandalwood, amber, musk, and a hint of rose. I should note that at first I put on so little that it seemed like it was going to vanish in less than an hour, so I unwisely dabbed on what I thought was only a little more. My husband could smell it from across the room, which is what I don't want, and I started to get a headache. It's mellowed out considerably now, but this is one I'll have to use sparingly. This is the imp I was looking forward to the most out of what I bought and Florence was what I expected not to like too much. Now that I've smelled all four of the imps I bought, I think this might actually end up being my least favourite. It's nice, but I'll have to try it again and use less of it. ETA: A week later, I'm trying it again and have used MUCH less of it. Now that it's dry, amber and sandalwood are predominant (I seem to amp them) but it's also musky and spicy. So far, it's a much more pleasant experience.

Can anybody please recommend a BPAL that smells like Bath & Body Works' Sinful Vanilla lotion? They've cleared out all their Halloween stuff everywhere I've looked and I foolishly only bought one little bottle of it that I'm sure to use up by the end of the year at this rate. I'm not experienced at trying to pick out notes. I guess it would be a dark vanilla with some sort of subtle spicy notes, but on me, it sort of smells like a softer Calvin Klein's Obsession. Thanks in advance. (Also thanks to LiberAmoris for the mention of Mastermind, because I've really missed Colors! I hope you're saying it smells like the one from the late '80s.)