dementia_divine

In the imp: A spicy floral (but I'm getting more spices than the floral component of the scent). Wet: Mostly spices. I can definitely tell that it's a lily note now that it is on my skin, but the spices are more prominent than the floral note itself. I think this contains a mild, sweet cinnamon. I have sensitive skin, but this doesn't burn at all. Dry: The lily note is a lot stronger now, and the spices seem softer, though they haven't decreased in strength. Verdict: This kind of reminds me of a mild cinnamon gum. I won't be keeping my imp, but the description really matches the scent.

A woolen robe infused with the scent of a vast, primordial forest: ancient trees, fertile soil, wild herbs, spring grasses, and burgundy pitch incense. In the imp: Whoa! I do get the woolen robe from this, along with the soil, grass, herbs, and trees. The soil note is not the same one that I get from Deep in Earth and Zombi, and the grass note is definitely the spring grass described in the description (and not the dry grass note featured in some of the Lab's other scents). The scent is a bit sharp, and the burgundy pitch incense mingling with the grass and herbs are somewhat off-putting to my nose. Oh, well. Here goes! Wet: Oh hai, dirt! This is very brown and green. I am pretty sure this is a wet (or freshly-upturned) soil note, and the grass note is pretty intense. The trees are in the distance, and the burgundy pitch incense is becoming more prominent over time. Dry: The scent is softer now. The soil and grass have calmed down, and the herbs are stronger during this phase of the scent. The burgundy pitch incense is more like incense now as opposed to burgundy pitch. It smells like a meadow near a forest in the spring, strewn with flowers, and graced with the presence of incense on the breeze. Verdict: I was intimidated by the scent of this one in the imp, but it is much more pleasant on my skin. I will keep my imp for RPG layering purposes, but I don't think I need a bottle of this one.

In the imp: Resins! I'm not familiar with all of the notes listed here, but I can definitely smell the olibanum (I once tried the Lab's single note), and I'm not getting much of the dragon's blood from the imp. Wet: The resins in this aren't very heavy. One would think this would be a very heavy scent with all of the resins listed, but it is actually far lighter than I thought it would be. I do get the olibanum, and after a few minutes, the dragon's blood resin adds a light spiciness to the scent. I'm also getting something that's almost lemon-like (but definitely isn't lemon). Dry: Light, sweet resins. Verdict: I'll be keeping my imp for layering purposes! I'm so glad the dragon's blood wasn't problematic. My current favorite RPG combo is Neutral Ranger Elf, but I think this one could be good as well.

In the imp: Rose, spicy carnation, and an astringent white tea note. Wet: Velvety rose and spicy carnation, followed by the white tea note. The carnation note quickly becomes the dominant note, which tends to happen on my skin whenever it is present (though there are a few scents that are the exception). It isn't long before it is mostly carnation and white tea, with the rose note taking a background role and smelling more like a fresh rose than before. Dry: Spicy carnation and a sharp white tea note with a hint of the rose in the background. Verdict: I'm not really liking the combination of the carnation and the tea note. I'll be passing on my imp.

In the imp: Juniper and mint, followed by the sweetness of the lotus note. Wet: The juniper note is the most prominent, and then the mint, but the lotus flower is increasing in strength, adding a bubblegum-y vibe to the scent. Dry: The lotus is far stronger now. It's mostly lotus and juniper, with a hint of mint. The lotus hasn't gone full-on bubblegum yet, but it seems like a rather odd combination with the other notes. Verdict: I don't find this to be menacing at all – it actually seems really pink on my skin. I like sugary florals (like High-Strung Daisies and TKO), but I'm not particularly fond of lotus notes thanks to that bubblegum association. (I do not like bubblegum). So I will be passing on my imp.

In the decant: Snow and lychee, mostly, followed by the lavender note. Wet: The snow is the dominant note. It is a bright, slushy, ozonic snow note. The lychee note is the second most prominent note, and the snow note contains a smooth mint. I think this is pretty much Neither Peace Nor Rest + some lychee. Dry: This is pretty much all snow, all the time! I'm not really getting anything else from this. Verdict: Damn, I was really hoping that the lavender was going to be a main player here, but it's mostly snow like whoa.

In the imp: Exactly as the description says – amber and black musk. Wet: The combination of these two notes is lovely. I'm getting more of the musk than the amber on me at this point. The black musk note does have a strong lemon-y aspect to it, but that usually goes away after it has been on my skin for a while. The amber note increases in strength as the scent begins its drydown. Dry: The amber note reigns now, and the black musk note has calmed down and lost its lemon-y vibe. Verdict: I really like the amber in this one (which I believe is the same one featured in The Butterfly). I will be keeping my imp, but I don't think I need a bottle of this (unless I somehow end up going through this really quickly).

In the imp: Soft milk and honey notes (not the ones found in Alice), followed by what must be the grains. Wet: The milk and honey notes are the first to emerge, and I'm getting more milk than honey at this point. The honey note begins to gain prominence as this sits on my skin. It's a light scent that isn't that sweet despite the presence of the honey note. It smells lovely, but I have to press my nose to my wrist to smell it because it is so light and stays close to the skin. Dry: The scent stays very close to the skin now. It is still predominantly a milk and honey scent, with more milk than honey, but I think I'm smelling more of the grains now. Verdict: I like this, and I plan on keeping my imp to wear on days in which I'm wanting a light scent. However, I don't think I need a bottle of it.

In the imp: Just as it is described: a crisp, clean linen note. Wet: There is a citrus-y vibe to this scent, which is sharp at first, but doesn't it doesn't take long for it to calm down. If Boober from Fraggle Rock didn't have a scent of his own, this would be it. It is the scent of freshly laundered clothes swaying in the breeze that have been scented with a floral detergent. I think it contains linden blossom. Dry: Same, but much softer now. Verdict: This isn't really my cup of tea, so I will be giving this to my brother, who applied it when I first received it as a frimp and really enjoyed the scent.

In the imp: I'm mostly getting the wine, poppies, cherries, followed by the clove. Wet: The clove is the most prominent note on my skin, followed by the cherry note. The honeyed vanilla note begins to emerge after a few minutes. I was afraid of the vetiver note, but it is just helping to add a smokiness to the scent, along with the clove note. The poppy and wine are becoming more prominent on the drydown. Dry: Still clove and cherry dominant. The spot where I applied this to my arm is very warm, but it does not burn. The wine and poppy notes are pretty strong as well. The honeyed vanilla note resides in the background. Much later: There's a fair amount of vetiver present now, along with the wine note. After a few hours, the vetiver note becomes very strong, overtaking what remains of the other notes. Verdict: I'm conflicted with this scent. I love the clove note. The cherry note hasn't turned to cough syrup on me. This is far more pleasant than I thought it would be, and I really think the scent fits its name. But the wine note makes this a little too fruity-sweet for me, and the vetiver ends up being too strong for me after it has been on my skin for a few hours. So I guess I won't be wearing this one again.

In the imp: Mostly orchid and white musk... I'm not really getting the other notes from the imp. Wet: Orchid is the dominant note, followed by the white musk and juniper berries, and finally, the bergamot. This smells like a heady, but clean floral scent. Dry: The juniper berry note has become a lot more prominent, but I still get a lot of the orchid and white musk. The orchid is softer and less in-your-face now, and the bergamot note is content with its background role. There is a hint of the patchouli in the background, but it is very light. Verdict: Orchid isn't a floral that I'm particularly fond of, but if you're looking for a clean floral scent, give this one a try.

In the bottle: I get a lot of the sweet pea note from the bottle, followed by the other floral notes, and a bit of cucumber and sage. Wet: I'm getting the peony, which I recognize from The Dormouse, and then the cucumber note. Then, the sweet pea note emerges, as well as a bit of the moss and sage. It's a very fresh, green, floral scent. The lilies are beginning to come out more as the scent begins to dry down, but the main notes by this point are the peony, cucumber, and sage. Dry: This is peony-dominant. The sage is stronger during this stage of the scent, and the cucumber, lilies, and moss are still present. I'm not getting much of the sweet pea note anymore, and sadly, the scent is somewhat sour on me now. Verdict: This was pleasant during the wet stage, but the disappearance of the sweet pea after the scent has been dry for a while made the scent a bit sour and herbal (thanks to the sage) on me. I am pretty sure it is the white sage that is problematic for me, as I tried the single note, and it did not not work on my skin. I was really hoping this one would work for me since I adore the poem it was inspired by, too.

In the decant: Exactly what it says in the description: chilly white musk. This reminds me of a slushy snow note. Wet: This is brighter and sharper on my skin than it was in the imp. Then, it becomes a lot cooler. This features a very smooth mint note, and I feel like I've encountered it in a scent before, but I can't place it. Dry: The smooth, cool mint is fading away at this point, and I believe I'm getting lots of ozone from this now. So it's mostly ozone, white musk, and a cool, smooth mint that is diminishing over time. Verdict: I'm always intrigued by snow blends, so I had to try this. It's not bad, but I prefer sweet, sugary snow (like in Snow White and Go to Sleep, Darlings) to the bright, slushy snow featured in many a BPAL Yule scent.

In the decant: The chilled white tea leaf is the strongest note in the decant, though I'm also getting the white musk, eucalyptus, and a bit of the woods. It's a very bright scent. Wet: White tea, white musk, eucalyptus. It's rather astringent at the moment. The eucalyptus note seems to be coming out more as this sits on my skin. Dry: There is a floral aspect to this scent now. It must be the osmanthus note coming out. The white tea and musk notes still dominate the blend, but the wood notes are starting to peek out now. I get more of the white amber than the cedarwood, but neither of them are main players in this scent. Verdict: This scent is too astringent for me. I'm going to pass my decant onto a friend that likes eucalyptus notes.

2015 version. In the bottle: Tobacco, caramel, and currant, mostly. Wet: Same. The tobacco note is the most prominent note. The spices are beginning to emerge the longer this sits on my skin. The amber starts to come out as the scent is drying down. Dry: This one isn't really a morpher on my skin. Tobacco still reigns. The caramel and currant notes are still present, though not as prominent as before. The amber is more noticeable in this stage, but the spices are subtle. Verdict: The caramel in this one scared me, so I refrained from testing this one from several months, but this is a really lovely tobacco scent. I'm glad I bought a bottle.

In the imp: Yep... definitely smells like a gentleman's cologne! Wet: Ambergris, white musk, and orange blossom jump out to my nose at first. The mint is present, but its soft. I'm also getting the moss, a bit of the rose geranium, and the rosemary note. Dry: Ambergris, white musk, and mint are the most prominent notes during the dry down. Since it is not purely aquatic, it hasn't turned into soap on me. Huzzah! I still get a bit of the moss, florals, and the sandalwood is present now, adding some warmth to the blend. Verdict: I'm glad the orange blossom wasn't problematic for me. I like this one, but I don't think I would wear it myself. It would be great on a guy, though!

In the decant: The ring pop note is the most prominent. I get the cherry and grape swirls from it, but I hope the grape isn't a prominent note on my skin. There is a bit of frosting and licorice in the background. Wet: The ring pop note takes the center stage, and I'm getting the grape note from it more than anything else. I really dislike anything grape-flavored, and the grape-candy note is very realistic in this. The cherry aspect of the ring pop note is starting to come out more, swirling with the grape, and I get a bit of the licorice note as well. Sadly, the frosting is nowhere to be found. Dry: I'm still not getting any of the frosting note... just ring pops and red licorice. Verdict: I am not digging the grape part of the ring pop note, so I'm going to put my decant up for swap.

In the decant: Musky, brown sugar-y, mashed sweet potato, oats, and spices. Wet: The scent smells more butter-y on me than it did in the decant. I'm thinking it must be the sweet potato note. The brown sugar is still present, as well as the spices, which are stronger on my skin than they were in the decant. (Sometimes spices will take over a blend on my skin.) I can also smell the seed and oat notes. Dry: The blend is staying rather close to my skin now. Its obvious that it is a musk infused with sweet potato (as opposed to mashed sweet potatoes) now. I'm getting more of the oats and ambrette seed in this phase. The spices are still present, but they have calmed down significantly. I can pick out the cardamom and sugared clove, and the latter note smells especially lovely. Verdict: I don't feel the need to hunt down a bottle of this, but I plan on keeping my decant to wear during the autumn months. This will be nice when I don't want to wear a pumpkin or apple scent.

The scent of absinthe, lightning, stormclouds, and laudanum crashing through a veil of soft Victorian oriental perfume. In the imp: Ozone, laudanum, and perfume. Wet: At first, I get the ozone, but then, hello, absinthe (and its black licorice-y-ness)! This is a curious combination. This scent is pretty sharp. It's threatening to turn soapy, but hasn't turned to full-on soap yet. At one point, there is a bit of prickling on my skin (are there spices in this?), but I haven't had a reaction. Dry: Something herbal and dark has emerged. The absinthe and ozone notes are still present, but they aren't nearly as sharp as they were in the wet phase of this scent. There are indeed spices in this, but my nose cannot identify them. There is also a breath of the oriental perfume (perhaps that's where the spices are coming from?). Verdict: This one is not for me, as I dislike the absinthe (though I am glad that it wasn't black licorice like whoa on me).

In the bottle: It's hard to pinpoint the notes in this one. There is a floral aspect, the resins, and then the sweetness of the plum nectar and vanilla musk, but it's rather complex, and there isn't one note that seems to jump out to me more than the others. Wet: At first, the tuberose and moss stand out to me the most, but it isn't long before the cassis flower, resins, and plum nectar make an appearance. I was hoping to get more vanilla musk from this, but it seems it doesn't have as big of a role here than it does in scents like Ava and Butterflies, Flowers, and Jewels Attending. This is predominantly a floral + moss scent on my skin, though, with a bit of plum. Dry: The resins are more prominent than they were during the wet phase, as is the cassis flower. Sadly, I'm not really getting any vanilla musk from this at all. The florals and moss are still present, but they have died down significantly. Verdict: I don't think I'll reach for this one again, so I am going to put my half bottle up for swap.

In the bottle: This features a green apple note. I do get the 'mashed' quality of the apple note, but it also seems more like a green apple that has just been bitten into at times. It's not the same mashed apple from my beloved Lambs-Wool, though. Wet: The green apple note is the most prominent, but I also get the sliver of tobacco tar beneath it, which adds a bit of smokiness to the scent. The scent is more tart than I had anticipated. I hope the sugar and honey notes come out more once this is dry. Dry: Ah, okay. There's the honey and sugar notes. They have tamed the tart apple note, and brought a little bit of the black tea with it (which doesn't have the licorice vibe that I sometimes get from black tea notes). I vastly prefer this stage of the scent. Verdict: I thought this one would be a love, because I adore apple scents (and I also like sugar, tobacco, and tea scents) but I'm actually not wowed by it. Of course, green apples are not my favorite, and I guess I was just expecting this scent to be sweeter than it turned out to be. I am going to let my bottle settle for a few more weeks. Then, I'll retest it and see my stance on it then. I just have so many apple scents that I don't feel like I should keep one in my collection that is just 'okay' to my nose. *edit* After a few weeks, the black tea note has come out a lot more, and so has the tobacco tar. Alas, I was hoping the sugar and honey would emerge more after a few weeks of settling, so I won't be keeping my bottle.

In the imp: Dragon's blood and musk. The dragon's blood note is very strong. Wet: Same. Dragon's blood dominates the blend, followed by the red musk note. I am not particularly fond of red musk, and was hoping to get more of the black musk out of this one. I can smell a bit of the fig and black currant notes, but they are not the main players in this one. Dry: I prefer this stage of the scent. I'm getting more of the black musk now, and I get more of the fig now, but the red musk note is still too prominent for my liking, and I don't really like the combination of the dragon's blood and red musk. Verdict: If you like dragon's blood and red musk, give this one a whirl. But I vastly prefer Dragon's Musk over this scent.

In the imp: Leather, followed by the dragon's blood and a bit of smokiness. Wet: First, the leather and smoke notes jump out, but the dragon's blood becomes more prominent as this sits on my skin. It does not overtake the leather and smoke notes, though. Dry: I feel like the scent is smokier now. The leather note and the smoke reign, and the dragon's blood still remains, but it is content with its background role. I am getting far less dragon's blood in this phase of the scent. Verdict: Every once in a while, I find myself liking a leather scent, but this isn't one of them. There usually has to be something sweet present in order for me to like it (like in Perversion or Knight in Shiny Armor), and dragon's blood and smoke do not fill that role (even though dragon's blood has a cherry aspect to it). I think this scent really fits the name it was given, but it's not for me.

In the imp: Cinnamooooon and almond. I don't get any of the neroli note in the imp, but that's okay! Wet: Creamy almond and cinnamon. The cinnamon in this is pretty intense. It overtakes the almond, and it starts to tingle my skin, but hasn't turned it red or left any welts (yet). Alas, the cinnamon kind of has a cinnamon broom vibe on me, which... isn't really a good thing. Dry: Um... I spoke too soon. There is a huge red spot on my arm near the place where I applied this (even though I did not apply a large amount). The creaminess of the almond is still present, but mostly, it's just cinnamoooon. I didn't get any neroli from this at all. Verdict: I'll be passing this one onto a friend that adores spicy scents and doesn't have sensitive skin.

2015 version. In the bottle: Sugared lemon, maybe like a lemon drop. Wet: Yeah, the lemon in this one is pretty intense. Past reviews mentioned it being pretty lemon-y, but this is even more lemon than I had imagined. I can smell a little bit of the coconut note, but mostly, it is just LEMON LIKE WHOA. The opium smoke and musk start to emerge as the scent begins to dry down, as well as the floral notes (though they aren't as strong). The lemon still reigns, though. Dry: The lemon has calmed down, but it is still the dominant note. The scent is rather faint now, and it is difficult to distinguish the notes, but the opium smoke, musk, and floral aspects of the scent are present. The vanilla is as well, but the vanilla note is so close to the skin that my nose has to be really close to my wrist, and I have to inhale really deeply to smell it. Verdict: I'm undecided on this one. The wet stage is too lemon-y for my liking, but the dry phase is more promising (if only the scent weren't so faint by that time). I think I will hold onto this one a little longer, just in case it improves with some aging, but I may end up putting it up for swap or giving it to a family member if the other notes don't come out more.