steffanina

Midnight Mass- In Bottle: Sweet-smelling, a little resinous, pretty! Wet: The same--resinous and sweet. Dry: This smells like...Christmas and candy. There are a couple of other BPAL blends that do this and do it in a way that I prefer, but this is sweet and interesting in its own right. Overall: Not bad!

Love Me- In Bottle: Something resinous and kind of...off. Man, Voodoo Scents and I just do not care for each other. Wet: Oh, it's much nicer on my skin--kind of wood-and-cinnamon. Dry: No, this just doesn't work on me. There's an underlying...unpleasant cloying thing that was in the first sniff that comes out again with time, and I just can't do it. It seems to be common to most of the Voodoo Blends and they just don't work for me. Overall: Not for me.

Beltane- In Bottle: Very sweet and "Herbal essences"-fruit-like. Wet: A stronger herbal bloom. Grassy. Dry: Fruity again! Yummy! Yes, when I need to smell pleasantly fruity like Herbal Essences but don't necessarily want to wash my hair with it, I will turn to this. Overall: Pleasant!

Trick #1- In Bottle: Very soft and light--I got vanilla-honey-musk off this, but only very faintly. I can hardly smell anything at all. Wet: Immediate soft musk. Dry: This doesn't linger, pity--there's that pleasant soft musk but it just doesn't stick around. Wisps itself away within just a few minutes on my skin. Overall: Fast fader; too bad.

Treat #1- In Bottle: Sugary strawberry lemonade! Okay, watermelon too. Wet: A lemony bloom on my skin. Sweet lemon. Dry: Okay, I see why everyone says watermelon, but I'm going to stick to strawberry lemonade on this! With lots of sugar. A fun and delicious scent. So fragrant on me! Overall: Delicious!

Antique Lace- In Bottle: Very, very light--just the merest hint of floral vanilla. I'm getting Ombre Rose off this one. Wet: The name is such a good descriptor of this one. Delicate, vanilla-floral, a little hint of ghostliness about it. Dry: It's weird/neat that when this dries, it's a cold scent even though it's vanilla, which I'd think of as warm. Very nifty; I will keep it around. Overall: An interesting keeper.

Hexennacht- In Bottle: Kind of grape-resinous. Overall: A wood bloom coming out, with a little hint of fruit remaining. Dry: Kind of smoke-and-pine, with a hint of grape. It is interesting! Rich and sweet. Overall: Interesting!

The Hesperides- In Bottle: Bitter (alcoholic?) apple cider. Wet: I kind of like that oaky note. And the apples are still there. Dry: This is kind of pretty! The bitter apple and oak doesn't stay around all that long but while it does I like it. Overall: Not long-lasting but interesting.

Eris- In Bottle: At first there's a grape note, but then, erg, there's a...pigpen on a hot day smell. I'm nervous about even putting this one on. Wet: The pigs recede, but...they're there. The rest is fruit. Dry: Pigs. I can't wait any longer. *goes to scrub* Overall: Not for me at all.

Yggdrasil- In Bottle: Kind of generically resinous. But nice-smelling! Wet: A little more of a wood bloom, not too cedar-ous. Which is good because I don't like overwhelming cedar. Dry: This is actually kind of "yummy" as a resinous scent. But it doesn't last long! It fades pretty quickly. Overall: Fast fader, too bad.

The City in the Sea- In Bottle: Dry cruel aquatics. (How can aquatics be dry? Shut up, they can.) Wet: Nothing floral in this aquatic. It's almost minty. Dry: Oh, I do like this! It reminds me very much of Bed of Nails on the dry-down. It's neither eye-watering nor too floral; it doesn't feel floral at all. I'm going to have to assemble the aquatics I have and figure out which ones I like best. This one will probably be up there, yeah. Overall: Nice.

Asphodel- In Bottle: A very soft floral..."grey and ghostly" seems apt! Wet: Hmm, what is that. Wisteria? Freesia? Not quite freesia, no. This smells like grass and something a little more floral. It matches the description nicely! Dry: A light pleasant floral. If I liked florals better this one would be right up there. It's not so much my thing but if it were it would be high on my list! Overall: Pleasant.

The Penitent Magdalen- In Bottle: I smell the honey and a little bit of the amber and lily. Wet: Hm, kind of cloying-musty. Dry: Oh, wow. This took a while, but it did become a beautiful floral on my skin, tinged with honey-amber and the lightest of fruit scents. Overall: Worth the wait for the dry-down.

The Unicorn- In Bottle: Oh, very powdery and light and sweet...sugar with a touch of lemon...and very cold! Wet: Now I notice orange-cherry. It's like sugary florals overlie it. Dry: I like this so well! It's like the softer cousin of Tweedledee: orange blossom and cherry. Such a pretty scent. Overall: I like a lot.

Brimstone- In Bottle: Ooh, very smoky, and almost clove-like. Wet: Woo, smoky and interesting. Dry: I've finally figured out what this is--ginger and pepper! I think this will be a scent I do want to keep around and use when I need strong nostril-opening scent. Overall: Quite interesting if not a big favorite.

Thaleia- In Bottle: Mmm, honey and orange blossom. This is lovely! Wet: It almost smells like bubblegum! In a very good way. Dry: This is a soft honey-orange blossom scent and it's lovely but it fades rather quickly, too bad. Overall: Very pretty but a fast fader.

Skuld- In Bottle: Mmm, I like the honey a lot. Wet: The honey smells like it's mixed with musk. Which, of course, it is! Dry: It's a nice honey-musk blend, but it doesn't really send me. I find myself comparing it to the honey of "O" too much (which is hard to beat, I admit). Overall: Not exciting for me.

Vice- In Bottle: I don't really smell chocolate as much as I smell something...dark. And I smell the cherry, definitely. Wet: Something cherry-musty dark. Dry: I get no chocolate off this, which is a pity because I adore chocolate. And the cherry-dark thing just doesn't work for me, too bad. Overall: Not for me.

The Phantom Calliope- In Bottle: Ooh, cherries. And cinnamon. Smells like a baking cherry crisp! Wet: Cherries and cinnamon potpourri. Dry: This stayed true until the end! A gentle cherry-cinnamon-hint-of-floral blend, and quite pleasant. Overall: I like.

Salome- In Bottle: Huh. Kind of a...weird spiciness. Wet: I don't know what that odd spice note is, but it's making me wrinkle my nose. I wish I got more almond from this; I love almond. Dry: This sort of...fizzled out on me. No real charm, just kept that nose-wrinkling spice smell until it went away, fairly soon. Overall: Not for me.

Utrennyaya- In Bottle: Woo, I smell that mint, and it's lovely! Wet: A zingy fruity note, and something like melon and tea, and that mint again. Dry: Hmm, that melon persists, but the whole thing fades fairly quickly. Oh, well. Overall: Fast fader.

Quincey Morris- In Bottle: Mmm, leather! The refined leather of Dead Man's Hand (which I adore) and that acetone-y pear note. Wet: Harder leather bloom. I'll watch what happens. Dry: I should like this better! The leather is lovely! But...the pear just doesn't work as well for me as the plain refined leather of Dead Man's Hand or the leather/rose of Whip. I fear I'll always be comparing this one to those and finding it wanting, sigh! Overall: A good scent. Not quite as ecstatic to me.

Punkie Night- In Bottle: Cranapple big time! Yum. Wet: Hmm, it's...got kind of a candle smell. We'll see. Dry: Pretty! Soft and sweet, but not one that really sends me. I'll try it again. Overall: Nice.

Tweedledum- In Bottle: Yummy tropical fruit! Wet: Mellows into something light and fruity. Dry: What a pretty tropical scent! I'm not sure I would have known to say mango until the dry-down, but then it becomes plain--mango scents aren't truly like fresh mango, but mango scents do resemble each other, so, yeah. Fresh and fruity and a great scent. Overall: I like a lot.

Samhainophobia- In Bottle: Mm, sweet like pipe tobacco, and I'm sure that wood-and-chocolate smell is vetiver. I'm finally getting better at identifying it. Wet: A lot like pipe tobacco! Dry: This is so dry and hot and desert-like, this scent! The sweetness fades; I'm left with this spare, parched scent like burned grass. Really interesting! Not a scent I think I'll want often, though. Overall: Interesting but I'm not sure I'll keep it.