russalka

Not good for those sensitive to strong smells as this one comes on super duper strong. And it stays strong for a good long while. No need to reapply during the day. Sugary, sweet pea, white and sharp blend. I'm afraid it's not my style.

I mean ... this scent. It's so. I don't know how to even begin. It's like opening an old wardrobe. It's wooden and there are my grandpa's clothes in there, as well as lots of old fleeting memories. Warm and cold. About to be forgotten ... I don't know if I like it or don't. I don't think it's a bottle scent for me, but the imp I may keep.

It is sweet thick cherry on me ... A cherry dripping in honey. The vanilla + amber deepen the smell. It can sometimes remind me a little of cherry cough syrup though, which is not great, but it's not horrible either. I might have reviewed this one already. But now it's been a couple of years since I bought it and ... well, see above. I still like it. It lasts, but I am not in love as I was with it when I first bought it and first became BPAL fan.

Oh my god, I think I may be in love ... It's gorgeous. Absolutely amazing. As sweet as the day is long, but that is the way I like it. It's all coconut and sugar cane on me with something very interesting and intriguing lurking behind. I NEED a bottle. I need a jug. What a stunner. 5/5

I had such high expectations for this one! I even ordered an imp of it from the lab ... so now I feel a little underwhelmed. First off, there was this bathroom freshener stage. The ylang ylang was way too strong on my skin and it took quite a long time for that stage to end. It was hurting my nose. Not pleasant at all. Then the oil dried properly, my skin warmed it up and finally it got more bearable. Now it's the myrrh taking over with its spiciness. I like that much better. It's still quite spiky and if I breathe it in deeply, it still hurts my nose. I don't get the comparison with O at all. This one is just not for me, unfortunately.

Got this as a frimp from fellow forumite (thank you so much!). It starts out rather strong with sweet pea in combination with the two ambers (methinks) taking over and giving me a bit of headache. After it dried down, it's mostly amber vanilla with barely a touch of white sandalwood somewhere in the background. However, my skin just devoured the oil - just an hour later, I can barely smell it on my wrist. I'll try it again later and see if my experience changes.

On my skin ... There is a bit of a burnt and 'acrid' smell to it too as one reviewer here noted already. As a matter of fact, when I first applied it, I got a bit of a bitter taste in my mouth upon smelling my wrist. I can tell you I didn't like that. It sure is warming up with time and getting a tad sweeter and more vanilla-y, but I don't think this one is moving anywhere from the 'no-go' zone for me. Too bad, I always get a little sad when a scent doesn't work out for me ...

Another update. I've ordered more imps in the meantime from a fellow forumite from the sale forum. These are the impies: Bruised Violet Compound, The Lion, Sed Non Satiata, Sin and Xiuhtecuhtli I've also retested Tamora and I LOVE it! Really lovely. I can't understand how I could've missed her before because I do believe I've tested her before ... hmm, oh well. I think golden sandalwood really works on me unlike the other kinds of sandalwood (I really don't like overbearing sandalwood scents). About Dragon's Milk ... too cherry for me. Too overly-sweet candy-like. Plus don't really like cherry overall. If I reach in a bag of candies, cherry is on the last place ... together with banana. So I'm not really into even retesting Dragon's Milk again.

Drying down: Very strong, fresh, spiky. It's the flowers (violet and lily) closely followed by the cypress/juniper with the sweetness of the myrrh on the last place. Dry: Now it's going powdery on me, however the flowers stay strong. My skin seems to amp them ... a whole lot. I feel a little right now, that's how strong they are. Not good for sensitive people. Might have to wash this one off. Nothing for me.

I All the notes in the description are present while on my skin. I get mostly roses and sandalwood with honey drip-dropping around. The orange blossom is in the background and one really has to take the smell in - breathe it in deeply - to really find it. Alas ... it gets powdery on me as soon as it dries. I keep thinking .... plastic baby dolls .... Not something I'll be purchasing a bottle of, unfortunately.

You just reminded me that I wanted to try Xiutecuhtli ... I already tried 51, but it didn't work for me There was something strange 'swampy'/'rotten' that came out in combination with my skin Oh well ... But thank you! I've just made my first EVER and pretty huge order from BPAL. I ended up ordering a full 5ml bottle of O because I know I want to have that around and then a sixpack of imps of: Fae, Van Van, Bewitched, Eat Me, Dana O'Shee and La Petite Mort I also ordered the Relief pack since I've been suffering from headaches, etc. I'll also be trolling the sale boards to see if some of the other imps I'd like to try become available. I should probably sell off my imp stash too

I will read up on your suggestions. Thank you very much! I have tried Dragon's Milk and it's too cherry for me. It smells like cherry candy/cough drops on me. Unfortunately. All in all, I like more warm/sweet yet airy smells. I can't handle overpowering florals and especially tropicals. There was one smell with Guava, I believe (can't remember the name of the scent) and I just couldn't handle it. It was literally horrible on me. I've also changed my opinion on coconut ... I don't think I like it anymore. I know I have looooong ways to go before I really learn what notes I like and which one I dislike ... it almost feels like too much at the moment I'm putting together a list of 6 imps I want to order from BPAL as I can't find any of them on sale boards. 1. Fae 2. Van Van (I need me some of that positivity, plus I like the reviews) 3. Bewitched 4. Eat Me 5. Dana O'Shee 6. .... remains to be seen (now I'll be researching The Light of Men's Lives, La Petite Mort, La Traviata, Apothecary and Sed Non Satiata - even though the 'floral' in it scares me a little) Do you think it's a good list?

Just thought I could update this thread a little ... I ended up getting 20+ imps and so far, I like O the most ... I realized I can't take scents that are too strong because I do get a headache and start feeling almost sick to my stomach if the smell is overbearing (like Titania or Eve). I need something mellow, sweet, dreamy and a little tiny touch sexy. I also liked Dorian before I got 'over him,' which was pretty fast. Roses, Pearls and Diamonds was another scent that captivated me, but it's a little too cold for everyday wear - it's something I could wear from time to time, but not all the time. I realized I don't like woody smells at all ... even though I do like sandalwood in theory, I don't like it in perfume form. I realized I like honey. Belle Epoque is a scent that nearly mesmerized me ... it's such a complex smell that keeps changing on me each time I sniff it, but some of the time I really don't like it - the times the sandalwood comes through strong. So right now I only know I will be buying a bottle of O. Nothing else comes close to being lovely enough while not being too loud and has a certain amount of hidden sexiness in it. But I am not totally hundred percent in love with it either ... I've simply not found THE scent for myself, but O is coming close for sure. It's also the only scent that I got a compliment for while wearing. By a male coworker. PS: I really like Embalming Fluid as it reminds me a lot of Elizabeth Arden's Tea Tree scent, but I have a bottle of that, so there's no reason for me to buy a bottle of Embalming Fluid. Does anyone have any suggestions as to where to move next?

A sparkly, batty little scent: green tea, melon, mint, lime rind, and champagne grape with lemon balm, mullein, and toadflax. In the bottle, the scent is just pure guava and it's strong. It jumps out on you and punches you in the nose. While wet on the skin, it is still strong and smells like soapy sugary guava + ... can't figure the plus out. While dry, it is still way too strong and smells mostly like some sort of insane soap concentrate. All in all, this is not my smell. It's not me. I could see this potentially giving me a headache in the long run. I'm a little disappointed as I had high hopes for it - many folks have recommended it to me.

I've tried some 30 BPAL imps so far and this one is standing out the most out of all of them. I think the word ELEGANT describes it the best. Also soft, feminine, fresh and opulent. I imagine Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast in Tiffany's while wearing it. Yup, a bottle it is.