saralaughs

Very gourmand blend. One of those that are foody without being totally about cake, you know? Orange or mandarin. I'm thinking mandarin cuz it smells realistic enough for me to reach out and squeeze it. It fades fast and melds into the background though, which makes me a little sad. There is a bit of cake in this one, yellow cake maybe? And a touch of vanilla or buttercream but nothing too heavy. It's also very amberish, maybe golden amber. That adds the element that keeps it from going into the total foodish catagory and makes it warm and interesting. Nice enough blend but not for me. The citrus becomes a bit too sharp on drydown and sits there in the background, taking away from everything else for me.

This is the first Bpal oil to ever give me a reaction. My skin, where applied, welled and turned red. It didn't hurt but it was weird to see. Anyway... Very much a coffee cake with crumble on top. But like a dry coffee cake that is on the discount rack at the grocery store because it is expiring within the next day. Very dry and spicy, I think cinnamon was a strong component in this one. Buttery as well.

On my skin, I only get the cocoa and cassia at the very beginning, when first applied. I'm left with a white cake that is heavily doused in sweetened coconut. I don't mind that a bit.

Very light and almost herbal incense. Dry, dry sandalwood with maybe a touch of lavendar? Very oldish smelling and dusty.

This really is refreshing! For once the verbena doesn't beat the hell out of the other components. The green tea and osmanthus are absolutely beautiful together, making this a be warm and fuzzy but refreshing at the same time. Very bright and clean.

Dark rose that is sort of sweet. The opium is strong in this and lends a very dark, almost smoldering effect and is definitely the main show. Leather is soft yet black and in the background.

This really surprised me. First applied, it's very green smelling, like stems or perhaps grass. I dunno why I think balsam is in everything these days but perhaps, perhaps it makes an appearance here? I dunno but it's not chemical-like on me at all. It like a whiff of sweet body sweat from dancing too much. It does have a sort of calogne like vibe going on but a good one. About an hour after dry down though, that is when magic happens. You remember your teenage crush and how he/she smelt after a good make out session? Musky and sweet and a bit sweaty? Like skin only better? This is it.

Upon first application, this is a very salty lime floral. The lime is strong and stays that way for a good 10-20 minutes with the salty like feeling backing it up. There is just a hint of floral at this stage but it starts to emerge and is beautiful. Probably orchid, pikake, and perhaps tubersose. Maybe lily of the valley? I dunno but I get a bit of a lily-ish vibe here. Very white feeling and almost waxy floral that doesn't smell waxy, if you know what I mean? The lime and 'salt' retreat to the background and kind of hold down the floral aspect, keeping it from running into complete 'heady floral' territory. Beautiful sea spray-ish floral, very summery and cooling.

I wore Antique Lace mixed with some Hanami. Now, though? I would wear Parker Lily.

Sweet honey, rich (yet clean) vanilla, and a bit of amber. The honey is sweet yet a 'clear, golden' honey, not the richly amber one that is in Autumn Moon of the Mirror Stand or the released version of O. Very pure smelling on me with a beautiful floralish backnote coming through. Beautiful.

Sweet, realistic, juicy plum. Freakin' yum. A darker plum than Sugar Plum Fairy and mulling spices, perhaps. The spice isn't really overpowering and is very beautiful. I'm not a 'in your face' spice gal and this is perfect. I do not detect any sandalwood here but maybe a bit of patchouli to ground the very sweet plums and spices. Lovely and glad I have a bottle.

The mandarin is really nice in this one. Super realistic and juicy, it adds a totally different vibe to the orange flower/blossom in here. A very smooth floral that is sweet and in no way overpowering or powdery, the amber is a bit creamy and glows in this. Very pretty and definitely feminine.

COFFEE. And MORE COFFEE. With sugar. Maybe two lumps, or three perhaps. Nicely sweetened with a hint of cream. Maybe hazelnut cream? And a hint of cocoa beans, but that really only heightens the scent of COFFEE. Beautiful and really strong and more complex as it dries. A bit of a musky sassafras note comes out into the drydown and mixes unbelievably well with the sugary coffee and bit of cream. Even more beautiful than when I first put it on.

First applied, this is lemon sugar. As in you just took a fresh cut lemon and dipped it into sugar. Quickly, a floral note asserts itself. I'm guessing sweet pea but I could be wrong and it's possible it could be actual lemon blossom itself. Still sweet with the sugar and lemon, I do not get any cake with this but it is creamy-like so maybe some of that or perhaps a bit of vanilla. This is really nice but totally different than the released version, which I love.

Very coconutty upon first application. V2 is much more subdued with added lavendar (doesn't seem like French Lavendar to me as it isn't too sharp or herbal) and coconut. The citrus is much more toned down in this, which I prefer. The tea, musk, and a bit of a vanillic quality round this blend out beautifully. Love it.

v3 starts out very citrusy on me. It's very sharp and tea-ish as well. The lemon does calm down and is joined by a vanillic musk with a tinge of coconut. Sweet, delightful but the citrus is a bit bothersome for me.

Why do I have to like florals?! WHY? And why must every other lily I've tried go to soap on me but this? WHY? This is beautiful. Not gorgeous or hawt or pretty or cute but hauntingly BEAUTIFUL. Lily and green stem, realistic and sweet smelling but not sugary. A bit of honey (like the honey in Ov5 or Half Elf v5, but NOT O or Autumn Moon on the Mirror Stand) with some musk (possibly brown and red, definitely not black or white though). It's clean and fresh, sweet and warm. Gah. LOVE.

Honestly, it could be Hermia. Age can do glorious things to a blend and perhaps you got your hands on some aged Hermia. The only advice I can give is to search out another imp and see.

This is very beautiful and just wholly evocative of the concept. Lovely, dark berry-ish red wine sweetened with honey and vanilla. The spices only enhance how sweet this is instead of overpowering the blend. Very well blended and warm smelling.

Minty, piney BO. Seriously. I even checked to make sure I put on deo this morning, it's so realistic.

Musky vanilla sandalwood. I almost smell sassafras but nothing like what is in Anti-Saloon League or Phyllocrania Paradoxa v1, just a mild, almost spice smell that makes you think 'What IS that?' in a good way. Lovely and I'm glad I got to try it but I won't hurt myself by looking for more, although I wouldn't say no to it, either.

Orange. A nice, light orange that isn't bitter but is very nice and juicy smelling. Rich frosting. After initial application though, the citrus turns a bit on me, like most do and smells a bit sour.

A very pretty floral, definitely a lily-based floral with something a bit more tropical feeling. Perhaps a stargazer? Anyway, this goes on very much a sharp, soapy floral. It's strong and very kinda screamy. What happens to that in drydown is amazing. The floral element is still a bit soapy but gets less and less so over time; it becomes this light, almost intangible thing that holds together the vanilla like background that emerges to take over the blend. It's a bit musky but not really. It's also a bit resiny but again, not really. Very pretty, delicate, and light. White light.

I have to agree with the above on this. It's a light, dry sandalwood on me that is a bit creamy but mainly dry. It is sharp, with a floral element that drives it into dry powder for me. The vanilla, if there is any in this blend, is very, very light and barely adds to the perception of 'creamy' to the sandalwood. Very refined though and light/airy feeling but without any warmth to me. That is the big difference in v2 and v3 to me. ETA: The floral in both v2 and v3 is CARNATION! I have no idea why I didn't know that but I tested them side by side yesterday after I had just worn Hod the other day. OMG. DUH! V2 is definitely the drier of the two; less creamy with the carnation note popping out on drydown. It's a pink carnation as well; not deep red or anything as the floral element is a bit more creamy instead of spice yet it does still add a bit of a spice element to it, you know that almost clove effect? Yeah.

Very powdery, soapy floral with a bit of wood or something in the background. Not good on my skin.