filigree_shadow

I got this one for my husband to try because I thought he might like it. He hasn't tried it yet, so I don't know whether he likes it, but I sure do. The leather in it doesn't smell like sleek black leather, it smells lived-in. The musk seems quite dark and masculine. It kind of smells like a cowboy sort of scent to me, and I happen to like that sort of scent. I definitely like this one.

I like this one pretty well. It smells very autumn-like to me. I can smell the apples and cider and smoke in it -- definitely some wood too -- and the sassafras scent gives it an unusual kick. A spicy orange scent is fairly prominent at first, but it mellows out as it dries. I don't think I'd need a bottle of this, but I'll probably keep the imp around for a while. It reminds me fairly strongly of all those "harvest" scented candles you can buy in the fall. EDITED 12/26/09: Kept this one around to re-test. I'm testing it again now, and... it has a definite alcoholic quality to it. Like rum. Reminds me of the boozey aura I got from Velvet Clown. Weird. I think this one just isn't going to work on me.

The soil actually doesn't smell strong in this to me -- I wouldn't have known it was in there if it wasn't in the notes. It did seem strangely almost alcoholic at first. It went through a fresh pumpkiny phase (not buttery, but fresh, like the fleshy part of a pumpkin) but I think the water-weeds are a little too much for me in this one. I wouldn't say it's off-putting, but it's not something I'm drawn to as a scent.

This smells salty at first. Kind of a salty, sweet amber. It's a bit odd. As it dries it gets sweeter and less odd. I think that when the rose part of the scent was coming out it was confusing my nose. It ends up smelling like a dry, slightly salty rose scent. It is unusual, and I'm not sure I've smelled a rose scent that smells like this before. I generally like the dewy ones best, and this dry rose isn't working for me all that well. It is interesting, though.

I wore this one the other day, and I liked it. It smells like spicy, peppery vetiver at first, and then the spices settle down and the vetiver evens out with the patchouli. I do enjoy this scent but it's too masculine for me personally. My husband might like it, so I'll hand the imp over to him and see how it goes.

This is a sweet scent that smells very young and innocent to me. There's some crisp green in here for sure (from the lettuce), and to me that smells a bit aquatic. The floral notes are really taking a backseat to that lettuce note. It smells fresh and clean. Pretty and spring-like.

I prefer Bensiabel to Prunella. I like the lilac in this one, and the leather with it is very, very soft. I don't mean soft like it's faint, I mean it smells like very soft leather. I can't really smell herbs in this, and the plum juice doesn't seem prominent at all. Soft lilac and leather for sure. I'm going to hang on to this one and do some re-tests and see how it goes.

I could really smell the wildflowers in this when I first put it on. I thought it would be a huge blast of plum, but I didn't get that. Mostly it smells like wildflowers with just a wee bit of a fruity scent with it. It's too much on the herby side for my liking -- there's something in this that's just not agreeing with me. It smells a little bit like a cross between tomato leaf and dandelion. When I come back this test spot after sniffing oils I'm testing elsewhere, I smell a big bunch of big purple fruit at first, but then the herbs always creep in.

This has a lovely, very light peach overtone at first, but it's overpowered fairly quickly by the osmanthus. The rosewood and sandalwood in it are rich and dry. It smells like a pretty floral. I think I'd like it better if the rosewood were stronger... I think I'll stick with Seance'. I was hoping this would be more rosewood and peach and less osmanthus and vanilla. Didn't work out that way for me, though.

I usually like the misty-moonlit sorts of scents, so when I saw the description for this one it was calling to me. It does remind me a little bit of an orchard (something in it reminds me of trees, but not pine trees or a wintry forest or anything like that -- it smells like sweet trees with dry leaves), and there's a nice bright scent over the top. Definitely evocative of a moonlit orchard.

This smells like yellow flowers for sure. Not even just yellow flowers, either, it smells like yellow-flower perfume. There's something in it that has that particular feel/scent that I associate with perfuminess. It's perfumey. Doesn't smell like a bouquet of cut flowers, it smells like perfume. Can't really smell any rose in it, though. It just kinda reminds me of gardenia and Old Spice. As you can probably tell, this one is not working for me.

Aha. Bitter and herby with stark wood notes. Yes, it does smell villainous. It also smells masculine, to me. This is not a scent I'd wear personally, but it's the sort of thing I usually like on my husband, and I'd like it as a room scent as well. Even though it's slightly harsh, it's also comforting. It smells warm and interesting.

Sweet, slightly fruity frankincense. This is much more complex than frankincense scents usually are on me. The spices with it are noticeable and make the scent quite interesting. It's a pleasant scent that seems very respectful and solemn, to me. Very nice.

This scent smells quite dry to me. Almost dusty. My skin is kinda picky with ambers, and I guess this one isn't the one for me. I do like the cocoa in this, but since I already have a favorite chocolate/cocoa BPAL (13 orange label), I tend to compare anything with cocoa/chocolate to that one. Orange-label 13 is still my favorite.

When I first put this on, it had kind of an orangey-resiny scent, and I'm pretty sure I could smell the mallow too. It had a soft overtone. The blood orange fades out over time, and it seems like mostly a sweet resin scent. I really like both linden blossom and heliotrope floral notes, but I can't pick them out very well in this scent. It does seem like after the orange fades out it's replaced with a sweet floral, but I wouldn't have been able to identify the floral. I already like this, but I think it'll be particularly beguiling after it has aged for a year or so.

The "rain" part of the scent is most prominent on me, but it's not a clear watery rain scent, it's more hazy. A little fizzy? It's sweet, too. I'm not an expert on rain scents or incense scents because they're not part of my usual perfume stash. I don't smell them very often except when I'm testing different perfumes, so I have a tendency to put them into only a couple of categories. Rain: Cool and watery, or charged and ozoney. Incense: Deep and dark, or sweet and churchy. This one is of the cool and watery / sweet and churchy variety.

Fruity and sweet. Grapes and pomegranate, but dry. This is not a bright juicy fruity scent, it's a dry fruit scent. If you like pomegranate or wine scents, give this one a try.

The rum in this scent was much too strong for me. I've been wearing BPAL's Sugar Cookie (from a few years ago) for so long that this version of a cookie scent just doesn't seem right to me. I'm sticking to plain ol' Sugar Cookie. I really love that one.

Hm, lavender and something dark. Thankfully, the lavender isn't overpowering in this at all. I can smell it, but it's not overly strong, and it's that lovely smooth kind of lavender that smells sort of blue. Rosewood is always a favorite note for me, and I like this entire combination. It's smells sweet and calming, to me. The darkness that was there in the beginning is not so noticeable when it's dry; the whole scent turns playful but is still grounded in a dark-ish foundation. This perfume is shaping up to be one of my favorites from Yule 08, and I'm a little surprised about that but very happy to find a lavender perfume I can wear.

This scent is sweet and not particularly smoky at first. It seems like the beeswax is the most prominent note, and it smells sweet and smooth. To me, the olive oil makes it smell like it's on the sacred, serious side, rather than fun and light-hearted. The smoke comes out more later on when it's drying, and makes the scent smell even more sacred. It's a lovely scent. Very pleasant and enjoyable.

Gardenia, neroli, and white peach with vanilla amber, cream, and honey. This is very pretty. I wore it a couple of weeks ago and it just about knocked me over (it's super strong), but I really enjoyed it. It's a lovely scent. The flowers aren't overwhelming in it -- they balance out the peach nicely. The vanilla amber, cream, and honey are so pretty. December doesn't seem like the right time of year for this scent, but I think it will be perfect in about four months. Also, I should note that my husband really likes this scent on me.

When I first got this decant I tried it on and liked it, but I thought it was too masculine for me. It's been sitting in my box of imps next to my end of the couch for a couple of months now, and often when I'm sitting here doing stuff on my laptop in the evening I pick out an imp and put on some perfume simply for my own enjoyment. I've picked Mole quite a few times. I think this is one of those scents I'd be reluctant to wear out (to school or out with friends) because I know some people really dislike patchouli, but frankly I enjoy it quite a lot. Sweet, mossy patchouli. I hope I don't use up my decant of Mole any time soon... but when I do I bet I'll want another one. I liked it from the start, but it has grown on me even more. It's certainly one of my favorites from Wind in the Willows.

Cold, a little bit snowy, and like a forest. It makes my nose tingle. Unfortunately I don't have much else to say about this one... all the cold/snowy ones seem to smell the same on me, and this one pretty much smells like the other ones.

Mmmm. Deep patchouli and dry vetiver. The vetiver and amber is a lovely combination -- the vetiver in this smells much drier and warmer than it usually does. No musty basement here at all. The fig is quite nice in this because it sweetens up a bit. I like this scent, but I'm not quite sure it's for me. I'll test it on my husband and see how he likes it.

I was iffy on this one but my husband wanted the book, so I got a bottle. Usually I don't like apple scents, or "glass" scents (like Sea of Glass), OR snowy scents. This one was bound to be a big fat fail, right? Well, no. - My biggest problem with snowy/cold scents is that on my skin the cold part of the scent drowns out everything else in the scent and that's all I can smell. Not in this one. - My biggest problem with apple scents is that usually the apples are way too strong for my liking and/or remind me of that Salon Selectives shampoo I used in the 80s. Not in this one. It's not overwhelmingly appley. It seems like, more than anything else, it's crisp. It's chilly but not cold. There's something soft in there too, but I'm not sure what it is. Maybe something like apple blossom? I actually like the softly floral feel of it when it's dry better than the rather stark briskness at the beginning.