mymymai

In the Bottle (ITB): It’s calmed down from when I first smelled it right after shipping (it was cinnamon all the time). However, cinnamon is still incredibly strong, but now I can smell some oakmoss, musk, and a bit of patchouli. Wet: While I know cinnamon is not one of the notes, cinnamon here is super strong. Mixed with the other notes, it’s not appealing to my nose. I can smell some of the musk and perhaps the hedoine or costus accord. Dry: After several hours, the cinnamon is behaving itself and playing nice with the other notes, specifically hedoine, oakmoss, costus,and a bit of tonka and musk. It’s warm and exotic with a hint of spiciness; however, I just feel ill smelling it in the previous stages. Too bad.

In the Imp (ITI): I’m pretty certain this is lemon champagne. It has the same fizziness as some of the champagne scents I’ve sniffed. I’ve read other reviews that connect the fizziness to soda, which could be the case, but I’ve never smelled a BPAL soda-based scent before. Nevertheless, it’s sweet lemonaid with bits of lemon rind with a light and airy twist. Wet: Independent stays pretty true ITI on my wrist, although my skin tends to amp the champagne aspect. I also sense a bit of lime here in addition to the lemon. Interesting yet effervescent. Dry: The lemon went through a cleaner-scented phrase during the dry-down, but now it’s a bit softer, although there is still a hint of cleaner and something like baby powder. Hmm, this is a meh for me. Other Impressions: My husband thought it smelled like soap, specifically lemon-scented dish soap. While he didn’t like it, my youngest cat was ridiculously interested in the scent, trying to lick my wrists at any opportunity

In the Imp (ITI): Hmm, this smells a bit like lemon-scented cleaning supplies on first sniff. I think it might be the combination of lemongrass, lemon balm, and perhaps even the sage. The is a slight dustiness from the sage as I sniff longer. I get this image not of a butterfly but of a white lace ensconced attic room that has been freshly dusted with lemon-scented Pledge. Wet: I get sage and lemon, but a thick lemon, which must be from the balm. It still reminds be of certain clearing products, but it isn't necessarily a bad association. Dry: Lemony sage, but still very much cleaning supplies. This is a no-go for me.

The perfected winter rose, dew covered and freshly cut. In the Imp (ITI): This is a much sweeter rose than Peacock Queen – it is sweet, innocent, young, and does smell dewy. It’s the pink and yellow roses that I see in the local rose garden. Wet: Initially, the scent becomes sharply rose, like crushed young rose but with something else, something clean. I’m not sure if there is an aquatic element to the note (as per the dew), but there is something else that is a bit too much with the wet phase. However, the scent calms down during the dry period. Dry: After 10 hours, the scent is very faint, but I get the most faint hint of rose. However, at several instances during the day, I recall thinking that the rose is just lovely - it’s feminine without being overtly sweet. Other Impressions: My husband just made the most terrible ick face when I asked him to sniff test my wrist. He says it’s like roses and bathroom cleaning agent. This is the kind of rose scent he doesn’t like (but so far, he hasn’t liked any rose scent I’ve asked him to test).

2011 In the Imp (ITI): The leaves are a little more woody than I thought and the currant exists as an undertone. It’s unusual and very reminiscent of late fall in the Pacific Northwest to me. Wet: While I know that juniper is not in the scent list, it smells so much like it on my wrist. There is a little duskiness to it when inhaled deeply, and just a hint of sweetness from the currant. To my nose, this scent is magic. Dry: Sweetly scented leaves with just a hint of musk. However, when newly dried, the scent takes on a powdery quality that it later loses about 5 hours in. I love it though.

In the Imp (ITI): Mmmm, it’s warm from the coffee beans, but it smells like marshmallow-infused coffee. The after note is woodsy, I think hinoki since the wood is a little astringent and a little more exotic smelling. The scent is mothy and beautiful I hope it stays just as lovely on my skin. Wet: The marshmallow is much stronger on me while wet, but the warmth from the coffee bean and the slightly astringent woody quality of the hinoki is just barely present. It’s still pretty, but very sweet on my skin at this phase. Dry: The mallow and coffee have become the dominant notes. There is just the faintest hint of wood, but this reads as more foody than anything else.

In the Imp (ITI): I get vanilla, mint, and sugary lemon on first sniff. It’s foody, but I like it. Wet: On my skin, absinthe and lemon become dominant. There is a light sweetness thanks to the vanilla and perhaps the smallest hint of mint. Dry: When it’s dry, the scent exists as a combination of absinthe and the faintest hints of vanilla and mint.

In the Imp (ITI):Aged Welch’s grape juice is what I get upon first sniff. There doesn’t seem to be any other notes aside from this. Wet: I still get the same fermented grape juice. It’s okay, but not a scent I’d reach for often. Dry: The overt sweetness of the grape has diminished, but it still smells like fermented grape juice. It doesn’t have the astringent qualities I would except with a cabernet, although a lunatic’s cabernet might very well smell like this. Other Impressions: It smells like Dimetapp to my husband. I wholeheartedly agree.

In the Imp (ITI): This is a red-violet rose in full bloom. The scent certainly does smell like lush, velvety petals. It’s gorgeous! Wet: Yum, I still get a full bloom rose from this, although now I smell just a hint of the thorny steam and rigged green under petals. Dry: Rose comes through as pure, velvety, with just a hint of greenness. I do get a sense of haughtiness from it and I like this scent for this take on rose. I just wish it lingered a bit longer.

In the Imp (ITI): It smells like a vanilla-infused peppermint candy cane! Wet: Still smells like peppermint candy. The vanilla is less apparent, but still present. Dry: It’s totally peppermint. A great scent if you want that refreshing quality of mint.

In the Imp (ITI): I can barely smell anything over the super foody tones of the pastry note. On second sniff, I can smell the sharp, cold floral of the orchid, but the other notes are still rather difficult to discern. Wet: Ah, much better. I can detect snow, moss, felwort, all the lovely greenness I adore in my scents. The buttercup is light, but certainly a middle note here, and the pastry adds a warm afternote after each sniff. Dry: Pastries and flowers – interesting, but just a little too foody.

In the Imp (ITI): Strong, soapy florals of plumeria, lilies, and dahlia. I don’t get any incense at all or sage for that matter. Wet: Soapy floral, oh no. Dry: It smells of faint florals, most notably dahlia, lily, tiger lily, and tuberose. There is still, however, the overpowering soapy overtone. This isn’t for me.

In the Imp (ITI): Strong rooibos tea, pumpkin, and a spicy combination of cardamom, fennel, pepper, and ginger assault my nose with its pungency. It really is rather spicy. Wet: The foody aspect of the pumpkin is strong in the wet phase, but thew spiciness of fennel, ginger, cardamon, and tea make it a scent I wouldn’t otherwise have considered liking. Dry: It smells like strong pumpkin masala with hints of tea. I’m interesting, exotic, but just a little foody. I like this more than I thought I would.

In the Imp (ITI): On first sniff, I get heavy cream and sugar. The following sniff exposes the brandy, but the other notes are absent. Wet: Right off, it smells like cream and paper. After I sniff longer, it begins to share scent characteristics with Lush's Snowcake. I think it is the combination of sugar, cream and perhaps rum. This is not what I expected this scent to smell like. Dry: It's very faint, but the scent is primarily composed of vanilla, just a little rum, and a dash of nutmeg. Honestly, it isn't the most offensive foody scent I've tested. It's not bad.

In the Imp (ITI): This smells very strongly of vanilla-infused sugar cookies, heavy on the sugar. Wet: Color me surprised, but the scent morphs to a mighly spiced medley of cinnamon and nutmeg with a little dough behind it. If it stays like this, I may actualy keep it! Dry: Dang, it went back to sugar cookie dough with hints of cinnamon and nutmeg. Sadly, the dough i more prominent and it's just too foody.

2011 In the Imp (ITI): Wow, my nose must be off. I smell butterscotch on first sniff. Then I can tease out the myrrh and frankincense and just a hint of the wine grapes. It’s rather foody, but not offensively so in the bottle. Wet: Hmm, on my skin the wine grape and olive leaf come to the forefront. There is a little frankinsence, but I really don’t smell the cake aspect anymore. It’s certainly not as sweet on my skin. Dry: Still lots of wine grapes, some myrrh and frankincense, and foody cake. I’m not a fan, but it isn’t horrible. Other Impressions: Husband hands-down likes it. This is the first really enthusiastic response I’ve gotten from him. It smells like powder and incense to him.

In the Imp (ITI): Although my nose is a little stuffy, I smell the sweet fragrance of violet with the pungent qualities of bergamot and sandalwood. On second sniff, I can smell chamomile, which I find interesting showing up in this note. Wet: Lovely violet infused with primrose and musk. Oddly the bergamot and sandalwood are nearly undetectable at this stage. Dry: After 15 hours, the scent is uber faint. However, I get faint traces of violet and rose. After reapplication, there is a powdery aspect to the musk , but the primrose is lovely and dominant. The violet is still a strong secondary note, though. There is just a little spiciness from the sandalwood, but I have to really concentrate in order to detect it.

In the Imp (ITI): I smell hop grassiness with hints of berries. There is a nice warmness to the scent as it reminds me of a day running through sun-rippened grains in the early summer/late spring. Wet: The berry combined with the hogweed and foxglove goes slightly chemically at first, but the marsh grass and the beer even it out within seconds of application. Dry: The berries and hogweed dry down to a chemically scent again. There is a little note of beer, but it is barely discernible.

In the Imp (ITI): Oh, now this is the dark amber that I like. It's exotic and sensual paired with the skin musk. There is a faint whiff of hemlock as I exhale and some sweetness from the tobacco. There is a little bit of the orchid as a sweet floral at the top of this note. Very seductive in the bottle. Wet: Heady, animalistic for some reason, slightly earthy delight meets my nose. The ambers, musk,and labdanum provide a sensuous base for the sweet but exotic orchid and the intoxicating tobacco. Dry: The headiness of the scent has softened, but the combination of musk, amber, and tobacco is lovely while sexy at the same time,

In the Imp (ITI): There has a lovely woodsiness from the teak and sandalwood, but contains a sweet, seductiveness from the bourbon vanilla and the animalistic notes of the castoreum accord, which hints at a dangerous nature and perhaps a well choreographed struggle. The tobacco as an odd dimension, as it gives the scent a "cleanliness" aspect. Wet: Clean teak and sandalwood, animalistic castoreum, a slight powderiness from the vanilla, earthiness from the patchouli all mix to give woodsy yet oriental infused vision. Dry: On my skin, the vanilla has turned slightly powdery, but it's tempered by the teak and the sandalwood. There is just the faintest waft of tobacco and pepper. It's lovely, warm, woodsy, and slightly disquieting.

In the Imp (ITI): What a lovely, woodsy scent. I smell the tolu balsam infused with the astringent and clamming properties of bay. There are hints of sweetness, either from the amber or the musk. It’s lovely so far. Wet: The balsam is now warmed by the amber, and the astringent quality of the bay prevents the sweetness from becoming cloying. There is just a hint of pepper in the background, but it’s a lovely scent that reminds me of the ryokan in Japan. Dry: Sweet amber-infused wood with a slight hint of bay when dry. It’s a lovely warm wood scent.

In the Imp (ITI): On the initial sniff, I get chocolate and butter cream frosting. Wet: I get more chocolate on my skin (I think my skin amps it) than butter cream. There is also the faintest hint of soil. Dry: As it dries, the chocolate becomes less prominent and allows for the butter cream to share a supporting role. I don't get the filth aspect (dirt) anymore - just chocolate, chocolate, and a hint of frosting. It's not as horribly foody as I thought and if I ever wanted to smell super sweet but not sickeningly so, I would reach for this.

In the Imp (ITI): Ugh, aquatics. It smells like the over-chemically ocean scents with the pungent aroma of kelp tossed in for good measure. There is an element that smells like men's cologne and just a hint of sweetness from the amber. Wet: Nope, not for me. Men's cologne with Glade Ocean and kelp. Help! I can't smell any of the nice complexity that I did while in the bottle. It's a pure aquatic nightmare. As it starts to dry, the musk, leather, and spices peak out, but nothing can save the headache that is coming on from this scent. Dry: Oddly salty, but balanced with the leather, musk, faint spices. It's not bad dried, but I'm not willing to work through the wet phase to give this as much love as it deserves.

In the Imp (ITI): It smells like a combination of blueberry and watermelon Bubbleyum. It’s foody, but I like it. On second sniff, I get musk and just a hint of the gardenia. The wood, sadly, is missing. Wet: Strawberries, watermelon and blueberry jam complimented by the sweetness of musk, just a touch of a floral bouquet – it seems like a picnic in the middle of a field surrounded by woods off in the distance – very idyllic. Dry: After 8 hours, I can’t really smell much, so I need to retest it. On second test, the gardenia and woods begin to actually show up once the scent dries down. Once dry for a little while, it makes for a daintily faint floral and fruity scent. The combination is sweet but slightly sinister at the same time (thank you, wood and gardenia notes).

In the Imp (ITI): I get ripe, green apples, a bit of bubblegum (not sure where that is coming from), and just the faintest aspect of herbiness. It’s a bright and pretty scent in the imp. Wet:Ripe while still firm apple, slightly herby, like rosemary, and just a hint of overt sweetness like amber. I fear it could go a little chemically on my as there is just a tinge of it now, it the apple certainly is interesting. Dry: Faintly apple and a sweet herbiness. Very pretty in terms of a spring scent.