lucycat

After a difficult long weekend, I needed some joy in my life today. My imp of this is about five months old. In the imp: Juicy Fruit gum Wet: The same. Dry: Sweet pink bubblegum with a faintly herbal undertone. Some reviews have mentioned getting clove from this, and that may be part of it. I amp clove. Very sweet and cheering, and it lasts for hours.

Overcomes poverty, illness, and bad luck. Drives off despair and grief, and enables you to find hope and joy in life again. I had a nightmarish day yesterday. This morning I had to deal with some of the aftereffects, and I remembered that I had an untested decant of Anthelion. As so many have said above, the smell of this oil alone is comforting: lavender and clove that blend together with a certain creaminess. It reminds me of a very old house, where the linens are stored with lavender to keep them fresh, and on the kitchen table there's a bowl of clove-studded oranges. I love old houses, and I think that particular memory comes from childhood tours of an eighteenth-century house near where I grew up. It's the first place I remember smelling lavender. Anyway, Anthelion works. All day, while I was having necessary conversations, I felt calmer and much less tense. I had a real sense of "Okay, I'll get through this": much more hopeful and positive than I felt yesterday. What's more, while the situation is not yet resolved, it looks as if the resolution will be more positive than I had hoped. Anthelion is going on my bottle list. After today, I'm convinced it's a good oil to have around when I need it.

In the imp: Sandalwood. Somehow I get an impression of a forest. Wet: After testing several blends all containing patchouli, I realize that what my nose identifies as cedar is, in fact, the Lab's fresh patchouli note. That's what I keep smelling until, after several hours, the frankincense appears. I like this incensey stage better than the pure-patchouli one. I think another test on another day may be in order, because I don't know if I'm enough of a pirate to wear this.

I wanted to try Dee because so many people mention it evoking a classic old-fashioned library, and I'm a librarian. In the imp, Dee smells like spicy wood. Wet, it's very woodsy. Apparently, I amp wood scents, because that's almost all I get from Dee: the rosewood, the unspecified "soft woods." After about three hours, the incense emerges. I don't smell leather or parchment at all. It's a beautiful blend, just more masculine than I enjoy wearing.

In the imp: Amber, amber, and more amber. Wet: Amber and apple blossom. Dry: What I'm guessing is the myrtle emerges: a green note almost like a softer eucalyptus. I don't get any carnation. Brisingamen is primarily amber on me. I agree with quickdrawkiddo above: this has the feel of a classic vintage perfume.

I don't think I've ever worn another perfume quite like this. In the imp, it smells like milk-and-honey scented liquid hand soap. Not a bad thing at all, since that is what I usually use in my bathroom. Wet, it's beeswax. I've tried a few of the Lab's honey blends and they're all very sweet on me, but this is perfect. And then the smoke appears! It balances the beeswax perfectly; it's definitely candle smoke as opposed to bonfire smoke. There's also a faint hint of vanilla in there somewhere. As others have noted, The Lights of Men's Lives does not morph. It's a very soft, subtle skin scent, warm and golden. I happened to test it on a warm summer day, and it smells lovely now, but I can't wait to wear it when the weather is dark, cold, and wintry.

In the imp: Flowers. It must be the heliotrope and orange blossom, because it's not the honeysuckle. Wet, there's a burst of green, the only indication I get of lemon verbena in this blend. After a brief phase of old-fashioned floral soap, Lolita dries down to a candylike sweetness. After a few hours, it's all honeysuckle on me. This is another scent that's very pretty but not very "me."

I've been into BPAL for about six months now, and I just found Imp. What took me so long? In the imp, I smell very sweet fruit. I didn't identify it as peach till I checked the notes. Like ih8perfume above, I get cedar from this when it's wet and for a short time thereafter. I think it must be the patchouli. I smelled the same thing in Sin, and I thought it was from the combination of sandalwood and cinnamon, but Sin and Imp both contain patchouli. Then, as it dries, Imp becomes a glorious warm peach, backed by the amber, golden musk, and patchouli. It truly does smell golden. The notes blend very well, and the musk comes out more and more as time passes. I had a hard time not sniffing my arm while walking around in public wearing this. I also love Tamora, another peach and amber blend. Tamora seems to me more of a spring-and-summer scent, while Imp is slightly darker and deeper and will be perfect for summer into fall. I see a bottle of Imp in my future.

In the imp: fruity floral Wet: Cherry candy Dry: Red musk and sweet cherries. After hours and hours and hours, I get a bit of amber. I really like this. It's like a lighter Kabuki on my skin: primarily red musk and cherries, though without the anise in Kabuki. I am learning that though I love vanilla, apparently I don't amp it, because I don't smell vanilla in this at all. Hollywood Babylon smells red, sweet, and delicious, and it lasts all day.

This was a frimp from a lovely forumite. It's very sweet. I get chestnuts in the imp. On my skin, it's sticky-sweet nutty honey with a floral background I can't quite place. That could be horse chestnut blossoms, as cuervosueno mentioned above. This may be just too nutty for me; I generally don't do well with nut notes, except for almond.

This was a frimp from a lovely forumite. In the imp, it's watery greenery. There's a very, very faint note of mint. For the first two to three hours, it's minty water. It reminds me very much of a sparkling, mint-flavored mineral water that I get at Whole Foods sometimes. Light, very clean, and refreshing. After that it becomes light aquatic men's cologne, and now, at the end of the day, it's mostly white musk. Vial of Holy Water has terrific staying power for such a light scent. It's well-suited to summer weather. I think it would be a great unisex scent, as well.

This was a frimp from the Lab. In the imp and wet, I smell effervescent champagne. I keep expecting the bubbles to tickle my nose! It takes a few hours for the strawberry to emerge. When it does, it sweetens the champagne. Bon Vivant is light on me and requires reapplication about every five hours. It's a happy scent, perfect for warm weather and celebratory occasions.

I smell the ginger in Kumiho only in the imp and when it's wet. Dry, I get the same tea note as the one in Embalming Fluid. This is clean, crisp, fresh, and slightly sweet. It's light and perfect for sticky summer days.

This is a tea party in a rose garden. In the imp, I get rose and carnation. Wet, the rose is most prominent on me, and stays so for about an hour. Alice dries down into a beautiful, soft, powdery carnation and rose. Neither one dominates, and the carnation is the same as that in Morocco. The cream and honey sweeten and smooth the flowers. It's old-fashioned in the best possible way, and I think it fits the character of Alice perfectly.

This scent is strong. On first application, the teak and oak predominated on me, making it very woodsy and masculine. I was disappointed; I got this hoping for the vanilla. After reading some of the rave reviews here, I liked the whole idea of this scent and wanted it to work on me. I'm so glad I happened to take a shower late in the afternoon and then reapply The Antikythera Mechanism very lightly: just one swipe of the imp wand in the crook of each elbow. Now, a few hours later, the woods are balanced by a sweet spiciness. It's neither overpowering nor too masculine. I can't really pick out the vanilla, but I think it's sweetening and grounding the other notes. This is much more what I was hoping for. My first application, as with any scent I'm testing for the first time, was only two swipes of the imp wand on each arm. Lesson learned: even that little was too much. I think this will be even better after some aging. I won't need a bottle because with such light application required, the imp will be plenty.

In the imp: Patchouli and cinnamon. Wet: Cedar. I think it must be the combination of sandalwood and cinnamon, but for a good hour, I smelled like a freshly sharpened pencil. Also for the first hour, my arms turned red where I'd applied the oil. I'm sure it's from the cinnamon; Bengal, which also contains cinnamon, did the same thing to me. After that, though, the redness and burning cleared. As my skin warmed, Sin bloomed into a warm, resinous scent, primarily sandalwood and cinnamon. The patchouli, as boomtownrat noted above, is very soft. It's definitely present, but not at all overpowering. This has lasted for over nine hours so far, becoming softer and closer to the skin. I really like it, and I think it will be even better after some aging. ETA: And it is! Four months after the first test, the cinnamon no longer burns or turns my skin red. I had the same result with my recent retest of Bengal, and as with that, I think it's a combination of aging, and wearing the oil in cold weather. I get more patchouli now, though it's still not overpowering. It's both sexy and, because of the cinnamon, feels very holiday-appropriate.

In the imp and wet, this smelled like spicy chai. It made my skin burn and turn red for about an hour, probably because of the cinnamon and pepper. After that it settled down into a warm, well-blended spice. I couldn't really pick out the clove, which I have amped in other blends, or the honey, but something was there under the spices, sweetening them. I already have and love Morocco, which behaves better on my skin. However, I think Bengal is worth another test in fall or winter weather. ETA: I'm glad I made that second test, almost exactly four months after the first. This time, I had no burning or redness. That may be because the imp has aged, or because the weather is about 40 degrees cooler than it was four months ago (I think being sticky and sweaty makes my skin more sensitive,) or a combination of those two factors. Anyway, Bengal was much more wearable this time around. It also smelled different; it dried down to a musky cinnamon.

Sweet, creamy root beer. I get a fizzy carbonated note, especially when first applied. As it dries the oak leaf comes out ever so slightly. This is delicious. I spent the day wanting to eat my arm. Stimulating Sassafras Strengthener will be a comfort scent for me. It evokes happy childhood memories of drinking root beer and root beer floats.

In the imp: Grape candy Wet: Grape candy Dry: Old-fashioned floral soap. I'm reminded of the smell of the linen closet at my grandfather's house when I was little. I'm sure there were some boxes of fancy soap in there that were probably older than I was. This is a light scent on me. I didn't really have a chance to test the "enhances others' opinions of you" aspect of it, but I wanted this for job interviews and such. If I wear High John the Conqueror for something like that, I'll report back.

In the imp: Green tea and flowers. Wet: Lipton's lemon iced tea, the kind that's made from powdered mix. Dry: Mostly green tea. The lemon verbena is present but not strong, and the honeysuckle adds a faint sweetness. This is almost exactly like Embalming Fluid on me, but sweeter. I think I prefer Shanghai. It's also cooling, making it perfect for hot, sticky summer days.

White Rabbit is pretty, pleasant, and oh-so-light. On my skin, it's tea, and the combined milk and honey notes that smell exactly like those in Alice. I also get something flowery, though there are no flower notes listed. Perhaps it's the ginger? The oil made my skin sting for a few minutes when first applied. I'm guessing that's from the pepper. After three to four hours, White Rabbit just disappears.

I'm so glad a few reviews mention not getting vanilla from this, because right now I'm getting vanilla only after twelve hours of wear, on only one arm, and I suspect that's because I got some on my shirt. On me Lyonesse is musky aquatic. I smell the sandalwood and amber very strongly. These notes do make Lyonesse smell "cologne-y," though in a way I find pleasant and classic. This is an intriguing blend. I'm curious to see how it ages.

I'm so glad I gave this a second test, a couple of months after the first one. In the imp, and for the first few seconds after applying, I smelled cherry Coke. The cherry was just like that in Horn of Plenty, which on me is herbal cherry tobacco. Then I smelled clove. I've learned from other scents that I amp clove like nobody's business. I couldn't smell some of the notes, such as almond, at all, but eventually Voodoo became a lovely clove incense. I think I may be smelling the vetiver, but this scent contains so many notes and they're so well-blended that it's hard to pick out any one note. It's just spicy and resinous. Voodoo proved to be an unexpectedly good choice for a very hot day: it's actually cooling. I applied two swipes of the imp wand to the crooks of my elbows, and even now, a good eight hours later, those spots feel cool. The only other scents I've experienced that with contain mint. Though it isn't listed in the notes, other reviews mention smelling mint in this. While I don't smell it, I feel it. The throw on this is terrific considering how little I applied. I keep getting little wafts of sweet, dark spice as I move around. Mmmm.

It's time I reviewed Dorian, which was the first BPAL I tried four months ago, one of my first two bottles (with Snake Oil,) and again, with Snake Oil, the BPAL I've worn the most. This was love from the moment I put it on. Sweet lemony vanilla tea. The musks give it dimension and make it sexy. For years I've worn vanilla perfumes in the colder months, and citrus in the warmer months. Dorian combines my two favorite notes, with the addition of black tea, my favorite beverage. Perfection. It also lasts and lasts.

This was a frimp from the Lab. Unfortunately, it's Eau de Hallmark Store on me. It's definitely fruity and spicy, but it's the fruit and spice of dozens of scented candles and potpourri in a card and gift shop mingled together. A bit overwhelming for my nose.