nerdcraft

in the bottle: - Fruity, sugary candy. wet: - Immediately goes through a bubble-gum stage. Smells just like that powdery, rock-hard, bright pink bubble gum I hated getting at Halloween. Oh, dear. Okay. Okay. It's settling down some, and I can definitely smell the orange peel and apple blossom now. Oh wow, this is good! It's becoming a cloud of sugar and fruit and sweetness. dry: - This is awesome! I can't explain exactly why I love this, but I do. It reminds me of...something. Another BPAL scent I've tried, but I can't put my finger on it. The pepper note gives this a bit of spice and deepness, so it's not too terribly fruity and sugary. I feel like this is the fruity candy counterpart to Midway - a sugary scent that smells like carnival food that's still quite wearable. overall: Very, very yummy. I'm glad I got this one, and I'll wear it a lot, especially when I need a cheer-me-up kind of scent.

in the imp: - Fresh and lemony, like sour lemon drops covered in sugar. There's something deeper and richer about it though, than just a purely citrus scent. wet: - Nose-tingling and bright lemon verbena. Really nice! The white ginger is coming out more and more. I don't smell any amber at this point, but amber usually doesn't appear on me until I've worn a scent for a while. dry: - This becomes a really fresh and harmonious scent, with a herbally undertone. All the notes combine nicely into a blend that reminds me very much of late spring, when the sun is bright and getting almost-but-not-quite hot, and everything is green and leafy and lovely. The amber never dominates or even makes a strong appearance on me. I only smell it as a slight warmth as Mag Mell fades away. overall: I adore this one! Very bright, very fresh, and just gorgeous.

in the imp: Cinnamon red hots. wet: Whew! Nose-stingingly hot and spicy. Smells like red hots mixed with motor oil. Whoa nelly, that's strong. dry: Dries down a bit softer, and I get flashes of the black pepper and clove. If I didn't know it, I wouldn't think this has dragon's blood in it at all - that note usually is a sharp lilac-y scent on me and I don't get any of that in this. Honestly, it may as well be a cinnamon single note on me! That's all I smell...cinnamon gum. overall: Not unpleasant, but I don't especially want to smell like a stick of Big Red gum all day! Would be perfect for cinnamon lovers though.

in the imp: Werther's Originals. wet: Very sweet, very butterscotch-y, with a slight bit of booze. dry: Still exactly like butterscotch candies with a hint of plastic - it never really morphs into anything more on me. overall: Sticky, sugary, rich butterscotch scent. Fun to try, but not a scent I'd wear.

in the imp: Gooooooorgeous almond. Love it. wet: Super cherry almond, with perhaps a dash of incense to deepen it. Very sweet at this stage, with a sharp bite underneath. dry: The almond mostly disappears, taking a back seat to the vanilla and frankincense. It's a bit odd, really - foody notes combined with a rather assertive incense. I don't get any cinnamon and the heliotrope fades when the almond does. overall: I liked this one quite a bit when I first put it on, but it changed so much as it dried. It went through a stage where I really didn't like it, but has now settled into a not entirely unpleasant rich, resin-y vanilla. Any blend with frankincense has a "church" feel to me, though, which is not my favorite thing to smell like.

in the imp: Aquatic-y, like some kind of blue hand soap. wet: Ooo weee. This gets much heavier than it smelled in the imp, right away. It's a little bit masculine. Mostly a strong, dark aquatic. dry: Still very dark and aquatic, with a bit of sharp greeness there too. It's not a bright and alive green, but a rotting and fading dark green. This is going to sound fairly crazy, but after an hour or so, it starts to smell like my dad's machine shop - this high, harsh, metallic note of machine oil and metal burning. overall: I agree with previous reviews that have said this is a gloomy, oppresive blend. It has a very damp, foggy, somber mood, with a bit of decaying vegetation underneath. It's a little strange, all in all.

in the imp: Mmmmm apples and spices. wet: Nice! Smells like baked apples and juicy pomagranate, with a strong base of florals and a bit of spices. The florals are deep, golden and sophisticated, rather than bright and springy. So...they're autumnal. dry: Dries down into a well-blended scent that perfectly combines all the many notes into a comforting and rich fall perfume. The fruits aren't as prominant at this stage, but I can still smell them if I think about it. This is really beautiful and complex, and reminds me of the last sunny warm days of the fall before winter takes over.

in the imp: Lovely, rich, round floral, with a slight juicy scent. Lots of notes I don't recognize right away. wet: Much juiciness! It's a little disconcerting right now, like my nose is running in circles trying to keep up. But in happy circles - this is really nice. dry: Slightly less citrus juicy, slightly more floral, and definitely amber. This is still very, very lovely. It's so weird that I can pick out the tiniest note of honeycomb (which smells waxy and powdery on me) amidst all this gorgeousness, but it's not enough to harm the overall scent. overall: This is a gorgeous, rich floral that feels warm and sophisticated. It's definitely a golden kind of scent, and it feels like something you'd wear when you have things under control. I can picture a stylish, capable but welcoming woman wearing this. I'll definitely be using this one for special occasions. Lovely!

in the imp: Some random first impressions: smells wet, soapy, and very masculine, with a stomach-turning sour note in there somewhere. Hmm. wet: Still very masculine, much heavier than my usual scents. There's cedar or pine resin in here, I think, as well as an acrid animal-y smell that I think was causing the sour note, and still isn't very pleasant. dry: The high sour note (mostly) goes away, and this has settled into a woodsy, very dry, masculine scent. I can see how this smells like burnt ashes from a wood fire. overall: This is not something I'd wear, or I'd put on my boy. It's not terrible, but it's not my thing at all.

in the imp: Very floral, slightly sweet. wet: Oh, pretty! It's a white, clean floral with a bit of tingly brightness. If I had to give it a color, I'd say light purple. I definitely smell violet and lilac, but the other notes are in the background at this point. dry: The white sandalwood is taking over now, which gives it a dry and almost musty feel. Also, one or more of the florals is going to powder on me. It smells a bit like a grandmother's room would smell - purple-y floral perfume with the musty scent of old photographs and clothing. overall: At first, this was brighter and a little happier than I was expecting, but it fades to a mustier and softer floral. Honestly, I prefer the wet stage, when it's still very bright and pretty. It becomes very reserved and dignified after it dries.

in the imp: Oh my god! That's exactly the smell of dirt! Real, live dirt, as if I'm running my fingers through it at this moment. That's amazing. It smells identical to the earthy, vegetable dirt smell of shucking corn that's right from the garden or planting seeds in damp soil. (To the above reviewer, don't feel weird abot smelling carrots - I keep smelling corn on the cob from this!) wet: Still that astoundingly real dirt scent! Okay, I'm trying to get over my amazement, and sniff out some other notes...there are some faint florals and spices, but it's overwhelmingly vegetable-y dirt. dry: Okay, okay, here are the florals showing up finally. This is a very smooth blend - just a suggestion of sweet perfume wafting around freshly-turned earth. Eventually, after several hours, it fades into a soft "perfume" scent, without the strong dirt note anymore. overall: This is very, very intruiging and one of the most interesting BPAL scents I've tried, in terms of both concept and the actual resulting perfume. I cannot get over how realistically the smell of dirt is replicated here, but it's not just standing on its own - it's blended with enough of the "perfume" scent to make it something special and wearable.

in the imp: Oh my. It has a harsh, almost ammonia-like smell. I can pick out lime and mint, I think, but overall it just smells sharp. wet: Okay, better. Still really sharp, but now I definitely smell lime, and also some deep tropical fruit which I assume is coconut, although I can't tell yet! dry: Yep, definitely coconut. Oh so gorgeous. It's rare that I try a BPAL oil that changes so much from sniffing in the imp to smelling it on my skin. This might be the winner for biggest icky-to-lovely morpher on me. It becomes a luscious coconut with a bright nose-tingling lime note in it. There may be mint in there somewhere too, although that note fades quickly on me. This is a very relaxing, calming, happy and pretty blend. Definitely reminds me of the beach.

in the imp: Oh my god oh my god. I love this. It smells exactly like laying in a field of grass and weeds and dandelions on a sunny lazy summer afternoon. wet: So, so, so pretty and true-to-life. The tangy dandelions, mixed with the green freshness of grass. I really don't smell any of the boozy or hemp-y notes, I wouldn't have even guessed they were there without the description! dry: Roadhouse is so great. It's really fresh, and summery, and green, even after it dries. It's not as sharp after a while, and I guess I can sorta convince myself that I smell the hops and tobacco, but by far the dominant notes on me are dandelion and green grass.

in the imp: Really fruity and juicy! All I can smell is fruit right now. wet: Hmm. This is really nice, but hard to describe. It's definitely still fruity, but in a spicy-fruity type of way, rather than a fresh fruit way. dry: It does smell much more gardeny as it dries - a nice mixture of fruits, florals and earthy woods. On me, the ripe fruits are still the dominant notes, but the other notes are brilliantly blended to make this not just a simple fruit scent. This is very, very nice. overall: One of the more complex BPAL scents I've tried so far, the Hanging Gardens is really balanced and lovely. It's lush and rich without being heavy. I think this would be a perfect anytime scent - by that I mean it would be appropriate for work or a fancy event or hanging out.

in the imp: Lovely, lovely floral. Very pink, bright and wet smelling. wet: This is so pretty! It does smell a lot like a fresh-cut tulip. It's a very springtime scent. I can see how it shares the green grass note with Rosalind - both are very light and fresh scents, although Amsterdam is much more floral and not quite as much grass. It reminds me of something I would have worn in high school, because it's very pretty-smelling and innocent. dry: It gets slightly more aquatic as time goes by - I get more of that little tingly-feeling watery note. Other than that, it doesn't change much. Fades into a soft, pink and green floral. season: spring office-friendly? yes, light and soft I fell in love with this one right away. Like Rosalind, this is very "me". It's a light, fresh floral that is unique enough to stand out, with the tulip scent, but would definitely appeal to traditional department-store-perfume wearers. The only issue I had with this blend is that it fades prety quickly. Other than that, it's lovely!