storme

In the imp: almonds, honey and CHERRIES. Some florals, too - if there's jasmine, I will be very sad.. On me, wet: whoa marzipan and cherries. There's something sharp and citric behind it, though - but that's a lot of cherry-almond to get past. On me, dry: It's so very light that I can't really identify any notes beyond 'powdery florals'. Maybe a jasminey scent (if it is jasmine, whoa, it didn't take over with baby powder-ness?). Verdict: It's not unpleasant, but I don't think it's a keeper. I can barely smell it. Swap pile.

In the imp: Sweet creamy fruity magnolia. In no way as sharp as I'd expect from mandarin. On me, wet: *cough splutter* SPICY MUSK. This is a dark, deep red, peppery scent suddenly, and the smell in the imp is totally not like the smell on my wrist. On me, dry: Hunh, there's a sunblock-ish coconut scent to it over the top, soothing down those hot spices and making this much creamier and softer, but still spicy in a delicious way. There's a fair amount of magnolia, not much mandarin, and I have no idea what Oleander smells like. Later: man, the longer this is on the more everything else fades except that coconutty sunblock smell. After one beach holiday when I was a student, I hung up my sarongs as a curtain, and every time a breeze blew into my room there was a waft of sunblock and bleached linens and warm beaches. This was that smell. Verdict: This was lovely in the imp, utterly bonkers on me when wet, and then it became.. sunblock. It's not an unpleasant scent in any way, but really I should just apply some sunblock if I want this scent. It'd be better for my skin. Swap pile time.

In the imp: herby cloying musk. On me, wet: light musk, with a sharp resin beneath it. This is odd, and not really what I was expecting at all - it's both lighter and sharper than the described scents sound, and I swear I can smell *anise* underneath it. On me, dry: The frankincense is making this a bit soapy on me. This is still lighter and fresher than I was expecting, though - very green and citric. I don't smell anything I recognise specifically as sage or basil in this at all, but there's a generically herby tinge in the mix. On the SO: Insipid pale musk when applied, fading really fast and never really changing. Verdict: Not one for me, I think, and not great on the SO either. It's not really grabbing me as particularly masculine, I also note - it seems pretty androgynous to me.

In the imp: Glorious tea, with some sharp citrusy herbiness behind it. On me, wet: Stil tea and sharp citrus (I assume that's the ginger) - this is really lovely and light, but it's maybe a touch too light, and it's fading fast. On me, dry: This is incredibly faint. I can get the faintest trace of sharp citrus over tea if I wave it, but none of that fig or ginger mentioned in the description. Later: hmm, now I'm getting faint traces of sweetness. Man, if this was just a bit kickier and less faint I'd probably love it. Verdict: This is like a weaker Embalming Fluid at the start, and then it sweetens a bit into something sweeter and less green (Budding Moon, *that*'s what it reminds me of!), but still really faint. Ah well. I guess I'll try to trade it to someone in the hopes it'll work better on them.

In the imp: sandalwood and sharp florals. On me, wet: sharp, dry, bitter green herby florals. On me, dry: Oh, good, this is becoming less bitter, but it's getting to be pretty dusty somehow. Yup, definitely getting sweeter and warmer. Now I can smell dim sandalwood and sweet, warm florals over the top. The longer this stays on me, the nicer it gets. Verdict: Man, this is nice - warm and soft. It does *verge* on becoming powdery, but never quite succumbs. A surprise hit!

In the imp: Hmm! Sharp herby rosey tastiness. Somehow I was expecting something more acrid. On me, wet: Green, sappy rose with an acid tinge and a good dose of chamomile giving it a faintly soapy scent, but not in an unpleasant way. On me, dry: Sigh, the soap took over. I suspect that's the chamomile and rose combination. All that lovely sharp greenness didn't want to stay around. Verdict: If this was actually a soap, I would probably buy it. But as a perfume, nope.

In the imp: hmm, cloying florals and citrus. On me, wet: wurgh, those are some nasty cloying, thick, generic-perfume florals. the lime is just stopping it from being really overpoweringly nasty. On me, dry: baby powder! there's some florals and lime behind it, but the jasmine has gobbled it all up in an unstoppable jasmine-powder explosion. Verdict: Somehow I can't help it - I can't just let an untried frimp go past without trying it. Now I've confirmed what I already knew - jasmine makes anything smell like baby powder on me. At least now I can swap this away with a clear conscience.

In the imp: hmm, minty wood and a bit of anise. On me, wet: mint licorice with a dash of citrus. This is compelling, but I dont't know if I actually *like* it. It keeps reminding me of a sweetshop, rather than a bar. On me, dry: Man, that's some tangy citrusy minty craziness. I'm still not sure if I like it - I think for once this may in fact be *too* citric* for me, since every time I sniff at my wrist I can feel my eyelids tensing as if ready to blink back tears. I'm pleasantly surprised that the anise didn't go nuts on me, mind you. Later: whoa whoa whoa waitaminute what the hell is this? Now this has become the scent of Lush's sandstone soap - in other words, lemon soap. Crazy. Verdict: Man. You know, I didn't know what to expect from this scent, I just knew I really wanted to try it. And, well, it was weirdly pleasant up until it went soapy. Ah well, off it goes.

In the imp: mm, smoky vetiver and leafiness - and something slightly sweet. On me, wet: cedar, and something herby - I keep swearing that I can smell pesto, with something sweet and berryish over the top. Very green. On me, dry: smoky wood, with sweet berries wafting over the top. The pesto-ish edge of herbs has faded down a bit, but it's still fairly green. Verdict: hmm, this has the woody qualities I liked in Wolfsbane, with a slightly sweeter edge - it's a cool dark forest on a hot autumn day, now. I might as well keep this around for the same reasons I kept Wolfsbane.

In the imp: Lily, and, man, cedar - I guess now I know what that smells like. This smells slightly aniseedy - actually, it smells like those little dishes of seeds left by the exit in indian restaurants. On me, wet: still smells like those seeds, now overlaid with some thick white emulsion with paint thinner glopped in it. On me, dry: wargh, generic perfume and urine. oh god, the longer I leave this on the more it smells like dried urine. *scrub scrub* Verdict: Aie, no. What the hell? No BPAL perfume has ever gone to pee on me before. Yick.

In the imp: oooh, citrus! there's some mint and musk and tea, too, but mostly this is very citric. On me, wet: lots of citrus over a very light musk and some minty fruit tea. This is a scent to wake you up in the morning. On me, dry: hmm, there's some ozone soothing the edges of the sharpness now, but still there's that delicious minty-fruity-musky-tea beneath it all. This is a very refined and androgynous scent. Verdict: A fresh and bright citrus-mint-tea-fruit-musk blend. I must make my SO try this, but even if he doesn't like it I'll keep the imp around. Edit, later: Well, I tried it on the SO. He doesn't particularly like or dislike the scent himself, but I *really* like it on him and he likes my reaction to it. And just in time to snag a 5ml from the lab, too. Muahaha.

In the imp: blackberry and green sap and florals. On me, wet: yow, lots of heather but just a dash of berries and a lot of damp, moist ozone. Given that I've almost never seen Glasgow when it wasn't either night-time or raining or both, wet air seems about right. There's a bit more soapy powderiness to this than I like, though. On me, dry: sweet powdery floral herbiness. I think the heather took over - what isn't powdery and sweet is very sappy and green with just a hint of florals. It's actually not unpleasant, but not wonderful either. Verdict: This isn't terrible but not wonderful either. Swap pile time!

In the imp: earth and pine and wood. On me, wet: lots of wood and earth, a little citrus, a little pine, a lot of green herbs. This is how Black Forest *should* have smelled on me. On me, dry: this goes through a strong sandalwood-and-pine stage before some patchouli-ish scent creeps in and makes this in a spicy, woody herbal scent. This is lovely - not at all what I usually like, but it's really making me think of a benign but dark forest. Verdict: I think this may be a success. It's that elusive forest-floor scent I wanted a while back and gave up on finding, because all the piney scents repelled me. Here, it doesn't. Astonishing.

In the imp: gosh. on first sniff I get a whiff of *fruits* ( a lot of apple and melon) and aquatics and lilies. On me, wet: a melon-ish fruity scent, some wet ozone-ish scents, and a lot of gentle white and green florals. On me, dry: well, this is a morphy scent. the ivy came up strongly, and now it's a weird mix of ivy, ozone and lots of lily-ish white florals. There's something soapy hiding behind this all too. It keeps fading in and out - the melon keeps reappearing just when I think it's completely faded, and then it goes through the whole range of scents again. Verdict: Oh, I think I'll keep this, if only to try it again to see if it keeps being so weirdly unpredictable. None of the phases are exactly unpleasant to wear, in any case, and some of them are positively delightful.

In the imp: soft, gentle pale-purple florals. fairly sweet. On me, wet: soft, light florals. it's just verging on going powdery, and with that green carnation edge behind it. The sweet pea floral is definitely the strongest note, though. On me, dry: this is light but with a pretty good throw. That powderiness is still lurking behind the sweet gentle florals - it keeps making me think of sherbet. Verdict: This is certainly very soft, and I'll buy innocent and pure, too. I'm not sure it's very me, but it's pretty enough that I'll keep this imp around.

In the imp: Wow, resin and... fig? and clove, and citrus. On me, wet: ginger and clove and a lot of resin and something woody. The SO says he can smell cardamom, me, I keep smelling pepper and figs in the mix. On me, dry: there's a citrus-ish tang behind the clovey-spicy-warm scent. This is such a warm, orangey scent - not quite the sun, more a sun-baked spice cabinet. Verdict: I like this. It's very bold and bright and warm. I don't think it's something I need to track down a 5ml of, but the imp is definitely one to keep around.

In the imp: a very faint waft of citrus and vanilla and sandalwood. On me, wet: an even fainter sharp citrus, and a very faint waft of vanilla. I can barely smell this at all, frankly. On me, dry: okay, I cannot smell this at all now - it seems to hit a weird blind spot in my sense of smell. My SO informs me that, while it is pretty subtle, it exists and is rather nice, in a 'sweet flowery candyfloss' way. Verdict: Uh, well, I dunno if I can form an opinion here, really. But I probably won't keep the imp around.

In the imp: green sap, damp blackberries, and florals. On me, wet: hmm, it's gone to strong florals over citrus and aquatic. Smells a bit like an air freshener. On me, dry: erk, now whenever I sniff at it I feel like I've literally stuck my head into a damp cloud of strong floral air-freshener spray. Yargh. I thought this was supposed to have berries? Verdict: Unsurprisingly, not a keeper.

In the imp: neroli and citrus! I can just about make out a herby lavender base to this, but the jasmine appears to be well-hidden. On me, wet: orange kitchen degreaser cleaning fluid scent. Man, that neroli amped up like crazy. On me, dry: wargh. You could use my wrist to scour the oven, the hob, and possibly also the kitchen floor. It's like the scent of every cleaning fluid under my sink in one. Verdict: jasmine and neroli don't work on me, and I knew that, and yet I tried this anyway when an imp came my way, in the hope they would cancel each other out somehow. Ah well. Unsurprisingly, I do not wish to smell like this.

In the imp: patchouli! occasional wafts of soft florals and sweet musk. On me, wet: a lot of patchouli and dark, sharp myrrh. This is an intense and strong and sweet scent. On me, dry: still a fair amount of patchouli, with a sweet resinous scent gloopy and thick over the top. The SO doesn't like this at all on me - I think he finds it too resiny. Verdict: I smell like a hippy shop. Not a bad hippy shop smell, but enh, no, I think I'll pass this on.

In the imp: mint and rose and cucumber. wtf? On me, wet: powdery pink rose and spearmint. it's a very green scent - there's a sappy rose-stem scent as well as the mintiness. On me, dry: wood sap and sandalwood and newly-budded pink roses and maybe something damp and wet too. It's so green my nose almost thinks it's soapy. Verdict: I quite like this, but I think it's too green a rose for me to wear much. I'll certainly keep this decanted imp, though.

In the imp: honey honey honey honey ylang ylang. On me, wet: honey, clove, and ylang ylang. There's a sort of menthol effect going on in here somewhere, too. On me, dry: Smells like walking past a Lush shop; that rush of powder and soap smell that wafts out of the doors. The patchouli's really come to prominence, too. Verdict: The SO mysteriously likes it. I think it smells like soapy perfumed baby powder. Shrug.

In the imp: mm, chocolate and wood and fig and soft creamy spiciness - and maybe a waft of coconut? On me, wet: a very strong fig and wood note, and not much else. It smells like the boxes of dates my father used to buy. On me, dry: the cocoa doesn't seem very strong to me (though my SO did his normal 'urgh... coffee?' response that he has to all cocoa scents here) but the fig is very very strong, and there's hints of musky woods with it. There's also the faintest hint of coconut again. Verdict: I like this a lot, though I can't imagine a situation where I'd want to wear this. My SO dislikes this (he dislikes the BPAL cocoa scent, and doesn't like figs in any form) so if I did wear it, I'd have to make sure it wasn't around him. Sigh.

In the imp: gentle, warm black musk. this seems really light to me. On me, wet: musky amber over a generic sharp perfume smell - and there's something citric and light but sweet behind it, like candied lemon peel. On me, dry: man, that citric bite is getting stronger and more zingy. There's a sweetness and a *slight* powdery edge behind this too, which I think is the amber reacting with my skin weirdly. The musk just stops it from becoming too sweet and sugary a scent, though. Verdict: If that lemon scent was a *bit* less like the smell of lemon drops, I would be snapping up a big bottle of this. As it is, I'm keeping the imp around - the amber plays pretty well with the musk, and that lemon smell stops it from being too heavy on me.

In the imp: leather over a generic 'perfume' sort of scent. Slightly soapy, too. On me, wet: Mmmm, leather. I can't smell anything else. There's not even any 'perfume' scent any more. On me, dry: leather over musk and amber. Oh my. This is Dragon's Hide soaped-leathery sexiness with a twist of girliness, but there's an occasional powderiness that's a little offputting. Later: woohoo, powderiness went away. The SO liked this, in a way he didn't like Dragon's Hide, too. Verdict: well, I think I will keep this around. This may displace Dragon's Hide on my list of favourites, and I really didn't expect that from sniffing the imp. It's leathery and sexy and warm and sultry.