copyshopclerk

This was one of the first imps I ever got from the lab because it seems like it's on everyone's list of favorites. In the imp: There's this import store in a lot of malls where I live called Gifts from Afar (no idea how expansive their chain is) where they sell imports from around the world. This smells like the incense they always have burning in there. Wet: Still mostly incense, with maybe a smidgen of vanilla underneath Dry: Not working – I can smell vanilla, which is lovely, but I want to push aside the smoky incense that's in the way because it's keeping me from enjoying the vanilla underneath. I wanted desperately to like this because the way everyone else describes it, it sounds amazing, but it doesn't work on me. I tried putting it in an oil burner, and it was rather different - a very pretty vanilla edged with incense. On me it's almost all incense. I can't bear to give the imp up (it's about 5 months old which I don't think is exactly aged) because every time I read a review I want to try it. Maybe one of these days it'll work!

In the imp: This smells *exactly* like honey dust. Wet: Honey dust, chokingly so. This is *extremely* strong! Dry: The amber comes out a bit more, but it's still extremely sweet. This was too strong for my preferences, unfortunately.

There are only a few concepts that would make me splurge on a bottle unsniffed from the general catalogue before trying an imp. This was one of them! In the bottle: Cranberry above all else, tart and sweet. Under that, I can smell cedar, but not very strong. Wet: Sweetness of cranberry deepens, merges with pine. I'm guessing the blackberry and tomato leaves are coming into play here but I wouldn't know what either of those smell like on their own! Cedar noticeable underneath without smelling like a cedar chest (not that strong) or pencil shavings (not bitter) Dry: Nothing standing out more than anything else, just a very balanced blend. This is gorgeous and I'm so glad I got the bottle! I wanted to compare this with the other woodsy scents I have (Snow Moon & Dublin). I think of the three, this is the most wearable - the other two (Snow Moon especially) evoke a strong feeling of Christmastime, and even though both Snow Moon and Dublin smell lovely they don't always seem seasonably appropriate! Jersey Devil is more balanced with the cranberry and never gets too wintery-feeling.

In the imp: To me this smells exactly like the LUSH bath ballistic called Youki-Hi. Unfortunately, I hate Youki-Hi It smells like mothballs and motor oil to me. Wet: Same as in the imp Dry: Once the heaviness fades, the honeysuckle comes out which is really pretty. Unfortunately the rest doesn't work for me at all! I passed this on to a friend who adores Youki-Hi!

In the imp: The scent of autumn in the woods or fields - dry grass, fall-turned leaves Wet: Not green but golden - like a fall sunset on a field of hay and wheat, or the pale gold color of dried wheat. There's a faint floral but this is mostly woody/grassy - definitely autumnal! It's very pretty. Dry: Same as above, but occasionally something in it reminds me of a faint whiff of smoke, almost like a candle that was just extinguished. Very intriguing. It sweetens a bit over time. This one is complex - not sure if I want a bottle, but I really do like the imp.

In the imp: Dark, almost spicy, and sweet at the same time. Wet: Initially sharp, almost commercial (like alcohol in commercial perfumes). This fades quickly though, and it becomes more balanced. While still wet, it takes on the quality of incense, with something deliciously sweet. Dry: Sweet, almost vanilla, almost almond, with spice & incense on top. This is what I wanted Snake Oil to be but didn't get! This is really beautiful - it's dark, but sweet. A "going out for the evening" kind of scent, definitely - not something for a sunny afternoon - too sensual for that!

This was a frimp from one of the Lab's Ebay auctions (thanks! ) In the imp: Strong lemon.. veering dangerously close to Lemon Pledge Wet: Lemon Pledge Dry: Still Lemon Pledge Unfortunately nothing else in this came out for me - my skin ate the rest and amped up the lemon so it never really got out of cleaning products territory for me. Citrus is often troublesome for me!

In the imp: A strong, spicy floral Wet: Powdery sweetness, spicy. Something like incense. And something.. almost like leather? Strange since there's no leather in this. Dry: This isn't right for me. It smells like this herbal tea blend my acupuncturist prescribed to me (which smells okay but tastes awful), and the association is unfortunately ruining the scent for me.

A mysterious, enigmatic blend of dry, mellow rosewood, crushed rose leaf and the slightest touch of warm hazel. In the imp: Dusty dried roses Wet: Dusty roses, something sweet but unpleasantly so underneath Dry: Silly putty? I don't usually have luck with anything rosy, so I passed this along.

In the imp: Very cold peaches. I wonder what gives it that "cold" edge? On me: This is interesting - definitely peaches, and something reminding me of ice or snow. Frozen peaches, or peaches in an icy cold rain. Very cold and refreshing Dry: Almost a minty edge around the peaches without there being any mint in this. Definitely a refreshing scent!

In the imp - Astringent, definitely. Some kind of.. vegetable? I can't place what, exactly, but it reminds me of the scent of vegetables cooking. My husband agreed! Perhaps it's the saffron. Wet - Sweetens instantly, but not to the point of being singularly sweet, just that the pungent quality it had in the imp is gone. Sandalwood, musk, and cypress most noticable. Under that, the frankincense and honey. Dry - Wow, almost a reversal! Now the honey is more prominent with a deeper, resinous quality underneath. It's really a beautiful scent. It's sweet but complex, and not at all overbearing or cloying. There's almost a "fresh" quality to it, if that makes sense - maybe the cypress. I bought a decanted imp of this. I want a bottle now!

In the imp - This was my first frimp from the lab! Overwhelmingly, it reminded me of when I spent a summer in Florida working at Disney World, and how sometimes I'd take the long way home after work just to enjoy an evening out. The scent of this in the imp is what the night air smelled like waiting for the monorail out of the Magic Kingdom - I guess that's the magnolia, maybe the oleander too? Anyway, it's a deep, sweet floral in the imp. Wet - Same Florida florals, but can pick out the musk (similar to that in Haunted), and some spice as well that wasn't apparent in the imp. Dry -Same musk and spice, the florals have moved to the background now. Not bad but I don't love it. Hours later – mostly just a spice. I'm glad I got to try it because I'm pretty sure I never would've picked it out on my own and I did like the memories ir brought! But I'm not in love with it enough to want to order it.

In the imp - Sharp, clear; a very light floral edged with cold watermelon rind. Very "blue" scent, expect the oil to match even though it's clear! Wet - Rain, faint floral (lilac?), watermelon rind. Very charged, yet cool. Does not cross into cleaning products territory. It's gorgeous! Dry - Sharpness fades over time; then smells like post-rain instead of the charged scent right before a storm that this has when wet. Refreshing & lovely. Sweet, but still clean. Absolutely beautiful. I actually just got this based on the name (I recognized it as a Hungarian name) and completely fell in love with it - now I'm on a quest to try other aquatics! I've found that it's *the* perfect thing to wear on a hot summer day because it's such a cooling scent. It also layers beautifully with the Big Blue ballistic from Lush (which is my favorite Lush scent, so I'm in heaven combining the two!) I'm getting a bottle of this!!

In the imp - Floral, sweet. I'm still learning to identify different flowers and couldn't place what I smell here. I think it's plumeria, based on what others have said. Wet - Floral, still sweet, but there's a clean, nearly aquatic (but not quite!) characteristic to it. Dry - Something that reminds me of a tamer version of Szepasszony (also an aquatic floral to me), but it's turning into Head and Shoulders! No! Now all I can get from this is Head and Shoulders shampoo If only that shampoo scent were a passing phase, but that's where it settles on me.

I almost feel bad writing this since everyone else loves it, but Dorian and I were not meant to be I had such high hopes for this since I thought I loved everything in it, and it was in the first imp set order I ever got from the lab. Just didn't work out! In the imp - *VERY* sweet, cloying, to the point of being unpleasant. But I put it on anyway & hoped that it'd improve. Wet - Nope - smells plasticky, fake, cloying, sweaty, ugh. Something in here doesn't sit well on me! Dry - Just sickeningly sweet, an artifical sweaty sweetness. Get it off! Just in case it was a hormonal thing for me, I tried at a different time in my cycle. Same problem. Oh well.. I think I'm the fluke because my husband tested it and didn't think it was bad at all!

In the imp - Very crisp and pretty. Has the slight sharpness of an aquatic. Wet - The most noticeable scent is that of lilies - like the big white ones that are in churches at Easter. Also ozone.. maybe a touch of pine? Dry - All lilies. It smells *exactly* like a church at Easter. It's pretty, but I wanted something more aquatic, and the aquatic saltiness fades too quickly.

In the imp - Ooh, I like. Sweet but maybe with a touch of spice or hazelnut. It reminds me of Philosophy's Marshmallow Mousse that has a cocoa scent to it. I think this would layer very nicely with that. Wet - It's still a rich chocolaty scent that doesn't cross the border into plastic, harsh or artificial. Just a lot of chocolate! Dry - Still a rich, real chocolate. Fudgy, dark chocolate. When I was a kid, I used to make chocolate popsicles by freezing chocolate milk (from powdered Quik and milk), and during the freezing, the chocolate milk would settle a bit so that the bottom of the frozen mix was very chocolaty and dark, and the top was much milder and milkier. This smells like the bottom, richer part. Like many others have said, this is a good pick-me-up scent, but not necessarily something I want to walk around smelling like! Haven't tried layering with any other scents yet.

In the imp - A heavy rain, definitely by the sea. I compared this one to Lightning - this one is not a classically sweet scent, but it is sweeter than Lightning. Wet - Definitely rain – maybe a little bit of lavender, but not unbearably so (I'm not a fan of lavender!) – some lilac perhaps? Nothing resembling citrus. Dry - There is something oceanic about this. Something like the scent of a stone or a shell made smooth by the sea. It's neither masculine nor feminine. It reminds me of being in one of those shops that most touristy seaside towns have where you can buy shells, t-shirts with the name of the town on them, postcards, little glass lighthouses, etc. This has the secnt of a store like that. I really like both this one and Lightning - while that one is the scent of the air before a storm, this is a heavy rain by the ocean.

In the imp - Salty, a touch of sweetness but barely there. This is a rainstorm in a bottle. Wet - I had this on one hand and Tempest on the other to compare. This is a foreboding rain, when you see the dark clouds piling up and know it's going to be a doozy! It's not sweet and I want to test this on my husband. Nothing dryer-sheetish about this! Dry - Sweetens just a bit over time. Compared to Tempest, this is darker, more masculine, and without the sense of being near the sea. I really like this. It's a cousin to Tempest and I can't decide which I like more. Whereas that one is a heavy rain by the sea, this is a thunderstorm about to begin.

In the imp - STRONG scent here, even when the imp is closed! Buttered rum, something deliciously tropical - coconuts and pineapple I think! (Note - I got this as a decant from a 5ml, which might explain why I could smell it so strongly in a closed imp - some might have sloshed over the side and dried) Wet - Very complex – dominant is a buttered rum, but there's a fruitiness as well (coconut/pineapple?) Boozy undertone but not at all unpleasant. This is gorgeous. Dry - The hint of booziness fades, and this smells of tropical fruit, stilll buttery. It does smell like fresh pineapple. I like this! (time elapse) Uh-oh, what's this? A hint of smokiness creeping in... hmm.. (more time passes) GACK! Where did the lovely, sweet fruit go? All of a sudden my hand smells of burnt rubber! What happened? Oh geez, I don't know what to do with this. The burnt rubber smell was *awful* and I couldn't get it off of me! My husband came in and asked why the room smelled like burning rubber. The strength of this scent was gorgeous when it was fruity and buttery and boozy, but the same strength was a curse when the scent morphed. If it didn't change so horribly I'd adore this. I kind of want to try it in my oil burner, but I hate the thought of getting it on my fingers to do so given how terribly it reacted on me.

In the imp - Open up a jar of maraschino cherries and take a deep breath Wet - Same - strong, sweet, sugary bright red cherries. Dry - Still cherry, syrupy sweet. In a way similar to Alice (must be the milk & honey) but not nearly as pleasant or balanced, and without the spice of Alice. I really wanted this one to work for me! I got introduced to BPAL from Lush, and had heard that this smells like Lush's seasonal soap Snowcake (marzipan/almonds). Unfortuantely, if there is almond in here, my nose picks it up as cherry. A very bright cherry, but not what I was hoping for! Edited almost a year later I got a frimp of this from the lab and wanted to give it another shot. I'm glad I did! At first, in the vial and while wet, it was the same jar of maraschino cherries. Of course, I found out recently that the red marachino cherries are flavored with almond extract so it makes sense why I picked up maraschino cherries from the almond in this! Now dry, it's sweet and creamy with a touch of light graininess (is that a word?) underneath. I like this a lot - much more than it worked on me the last time I tried it!

In the imp - Apricot! Wet - Warm apricot. Smells thick, almost like a jam? I got this as a frimp in a swap right before I was frimped with Carnal in the mail and I compared the two - this is sweeter and heavier. Dry - Sweet apricot. This never gets spicy. It's pretty but not "me". I wanted to try it as a room scent, so I bought an oil burner and christened it with this! It's **gorgeous** as a room scent. It does smell like a pie or tarts are in the oven.

In the imp - Not as sweet as I had expected. More of a spicy cake - no currants. I picture a dark spiced cake. Wet - Got sweeter when I tested it on the back of my hand (the strange spiciness is only in the imp!) Light berries and cake, but the cake is no longer spiced. More than one kind of cake though... maybe chocolate cake and a vanilla cake? Or more like a marbled cake of chocolate and vanilla, right out of the oven... mmmm. Dry - Currants seem to get stronger as this dries. I don't smell cake so much as vanilla. The vanilla reminds me of Snake Oil, but without the incense or spice. After more time passed, this mostly smelled like berries and vanilla cream. A very pretty fruity scent, but where did the cake go?! After even longer, the vanilla fades, but those currants have staying power! Not sure what to think of this - I like the currants a lot, but I think the cakes all got eaten! Need to try this a few more times before deciding if I need a bottle or not.

In the imp - Smells like springtime, very green, a little herbal. Wet - Pleasant light herbal. Dry - Dries to smell like dried flowers, especially roses. The grassiness (that I liked) when wet fades. Okay, going back about 20 years when I was a little kid, there was this cartoon series called "Rose Petal Place", and there were accompanying dolls to go with it that all had a light floral, rosy scent. This smells like that! I'm impressed that this opened up a memory from that long ago, but the scent of dried roses from this isn't really me.

In the imp - Sweet, but with a spicy kick from the carnation Wet - Very pretty - my skin plays up the carnation more than anything, but the milk and honey balance it out underneath. Can't detect rose, which is good because rose doesn't usually work on me. Nicely balanced overall. Dry - Sweet, but with a definite spice. I like this a lot. It doesn't take on any "little girl" perfume like others have found. It's a floral that likes me! On my "get a bottle" list