steffanina

Sea of Glass- In Bottle: Ooh, yes, lightly beachy floral. A tiny bit sweet, and with the salt spray of sea. Wet: Pretty, light; tropical floral with an emerging clean soapiness. Dry: A lovely aquatic scent, very light! Aquatics and I have a careful relationship; I find them interesting but they're not quite me, being a little strong. But this one is likely the nicest of the BPAL aquatics I've tried. Overall: Very nice--I like it as much as I can like an aquatic scent.

The Dormouse- In Bottle: Oh, so pretty. Lightly aquatic and mild-citrusy. Wet: Once again, lightly lime-citrusy. Very soft and pretty, like the lightest of florals. Dry: A pretty light scent; not a lot of staying power, but I want to use it again when I want just a hint of scent. Overall: Conditionally like.

Black Dahlia- In Bottle: Sweet pretty powdery floral. Very nice. Wet: Brightly floral, almost with a cherry hint. Dry: A bright floral; I can't really pick out the florals themselves because I'm not good at that, but it's a pleasant floral, but it's just not for me since florals don't generally send me. Overall: Pleasant but not for me.

Snowblind- In Bottle: Oh my god, vanilla and mint, they weren't kidding! I love this. Wet: This is minty like tea tree oil (which is often too strong for me), but the vanilla tempers it. I want to see what happens to this! Dry: How much I love this! The intense mintiness recedes just a little so that it isn't eye-burningly tea-tree oil, but just pepperminty, and the vanilla stays with it, mellow and yummy. A delicious scent! Overall: I love.

The Apothecary- In Bottle: Very pleasantly soft and herbal; soapy. Wet: When it hits there's a strong smell like...was that cooked green beans? I am not making this up. But that recedes. Whoa, this is going away quickly. Dry: I get something herbal-y soapy, but not really more prominent than that. It's not as light as I'd like it to be. It doesn't quite work for me. Overall: Not for me.

Follow Me Boy- In Bottle: Soft powder and lemon. Wet: Again, powdery. Kind of lemon-powdery; it's a little geriatric-smelling. Already I'm not thrilled. Dry: *whimper* Doesn't work. A little plasticky. Like the scents in a baby's room that cover up the smells you don't want. Overall: Noxious on me.

Saint-Germain- In Bottle: Sharp, cutting, intense. Citrusy. Wet: Lime-ginger, I like. Ooh, not too strong; seems to be fading quickly. Dry: My god, I can't believe how fast my skin ate this one up. But at least it's subtle and I can wear it and not feel overwhelmed! Overall: I like but conditional. Will try again.

Melisande, the Puppet Mistress- In Bottle: Deeply floral and cruel with it, almost medicinal. Wet: Wow, the same thing. A cutting, almost medicinal floral scent. Dry: Dries down to something nicely floral, but not really for me. Overall: Not for me.

Gluttony- In Bottle: Mmm, not so much as caramel as dark dark dark burnt toffee. I'd love this one to work on me. Wet: A lighter sweeter note blooms on me, almost like apples. I can still smell the burnt toffee too. That burnt edge seems to be blunting the musty note that would usually be rising from my skin on foodie scents about now. And a little dark chocolate is coming out, too! Dry: This was INTERESTING. The musty turn that so many beloved foodie scents give me (what IS that? What causes it? Is it vanilla that does that on my skin? What?) did show up, but that burnt toffee smell kept shoving it back, saying, "You're not that obvious. Stop making such a fuss." And it was a tolerable existence of the must, and on the last parts of the dry-down, when the scent was just lingering, hours later, I didn't really detect it at all and the scent was still yummy. So this is conditional but it may be one that will work in the long run. I'll definitely try it in scent lockets and the like. Overall: Conditional but I really like. I'll get it work somehow, even if just in scent lockets.

The Organ Grinder- In Bottle: Pine, and I think I smell the almond. Wet: Almond comes out very quickly and I like it. The evergreen is still prominent. Dry: I like the sweet scent of this but the pine is an odd mix in it. Interesting, yes, but not one I'll use often. Overall: Interesting but not a frequent flyer.

Doc Constantine- In Bottle: Musky, masculine, a little of that insect repellent note I associate with men's aftershaves and colognes. Wet: Cedar, a little pine and smoke. --I think that smoke is actually the leather. Dry: I wish I liked this better. Cedar is just not for me. It's not as cloying as some scents but it doesn't work for me. Overall: Not for me.

Mme. Moriarty, Misfortune Teller- In Bottle: Spicy-floral-fruity. I think I smell cedar. Wet: Yes, I smell cedar. This is the sort of thing that could be a little cloying if I sniffed it too much; wonder if it's the red musk? Real heavy on the cedar, too. Hamster cage city. Dry: An interesting scent but the cedarish smell is just too heavy and cloying for me. Overall: Not for me.

Hollywood Babylon- The essence of innocence shattered: glittering Egyptian amber and heliotrope, infused with the sweetness of strawberry and vanilla - dragged into debauch by lusty red musk and a dribble of black cherry. In Bottle: Mm, musk and cherry, definitely! Wet: Oh, I love the sweetness. This is Marilyn Monroe burning fast and dying young, no question. Dry: This is delicious. The sweet musk penetrates everything; I smell it wafting around me every time I move my arm. And there's a woody smell to it as well that really saves it from being cloying. Yes, this is what the sexual musk of a pop star should smell like: candy-sweet and inhumanly pretty. Overall: I love.

Sugar Cookie (2005)- In Bottle: Ah, yes, highly different from the 2004 blend, which was nutmeg-y and baked-smelling. This smells of rum and cream, kind of egg nog or Bailey's Irish Cream. Wet: Sweet but the must is already starting to come out. But maybe it's a boozy must and not a my-bad-chemistry must. Let's see! Dry: Musty but not completely problematic. I will enjoy this one in a scent locket, no question, but I'll also give it another try. I definitely prefer 2004's blend but this certainly has its merits. Overall: Use in scent locket, try again.

Ophelia- In Bottle: Floral but also a little herbal. Nice blend! Wet: How pleasantly sweet! I smell the rose but it's not at all overpowering, at least not yet. Dry: I can't believe how much I like this floral! There's rose but there's a huge amount of lemony smell to temper it, and it's feminine and pretty without being wussy or cloying. Often I like a stronger, more masculine scent to give me a sense of confidence, but this scent tells me to go put on a frilly nightgown and just enjoy it. Overall: I like!

Regan- In Bottle: Mm, yes, a sweet-floral foodie smell. I don't know that I would have identified it as vanilla, more as something rich. Wet: Floral and rich. That vanilla is just lovely, setting this off. Dry: That vanilla makes this one of the pleasantest florals I've tested. Really nice! Overall: I like.

Viola- In Bottle: Lily-floral and I think there's a bit of the sandalwood there. Wet: A bit of aggressive, exotic spice--is that the amber? Dry: Sadly, this is a fairly nondescript floral for me. Florals are frequently a little dull for me. Not the scent's fault. Overall: Not for me.

Grand Guignol- In Bottle: Mm, yes, I can identify the apricot, but it's a good thing I was told what it is! And that little boozy note is there too. Wet: Ooh, there's an immediate bloom of a hot musty-dusty smell on my skin. Don't like it; let's see if it goes away. Dry: That musty-dusty does fade, but so does the scent itself. Pity, it seemed interesting in the bottle! Overall: Fades quickly but I'll try again.

All Saints- In Bottle: Pine and herbs, a little floral. Wet: Piney and resinous, a teeny bit lemon. Dry: Hmm, remains a resinous scent, not one that has me thinking anything interesting about it, though. Overall: Uninteresting.

Trick or Treat- In Bottle: Mm! Sugary candy and a little fruity; not quite like candy corn but delicious. Wet: Sweet and fruity. Dry: Oh, I'm sorry how fast this is gone! Well, it didn't get musty on me. At least I'll use it when I want something subtle and yummy. Overall: I really like and wish it lasted longer.

Devil's Night (2005)- In Bottle: Candy sweetness and something that smells like tobacco. Wet: Ooh. The smoky smell is...rich, sweet-musky. Wow, that's cool. Gosh, it's fading quickly, though. Dry: I really like this, and even though it seems to fade quickly there's a soft little hint of it there. I'll wear this on days when I don't want to smell too strongly of anything, but want a hint of yumminess. Overall: I really like; wish it lasted longer. ETA, 10/18/06: I have just tried the 2006 blend of this, and it has much longer staying power this time! Smoky-sweet; I never lose the smokiness and it is indeed the smokiness of a wood-and-leaf fire, not of tobacco. This has just jumped higher on my favorites list, and I may need a bigger bottle of it before it goes away.

Dia de los Muertos- In Bottle: Oh, oh, oh, what IS that? There's something elusive here--strawberry pop-tart? Is that it? And a little bit of floral? Wet: More floral than fruity on my skin. Dry: An interesting, pretty scent; more floral and lightly fruity than anything candyish. Overall: I like!

Miskatonic University- In Bottle: Mmm, sweet boozy cream with a coffee undertone. Wet: Oh, how good this smells--Irish coffee or maybe a touch of hazelnut coffee too. I hope it doesn't go musty. Well, old-book musty would be fine, just not my-bad-chemistry musty. Dry: Pity, it did get musty on me! Oh, well, not like it's anything new. Happens all too frequently on me. Overall: Went musty. Will keep for a scent locket.

Numb- In Bottle: Hmm! This doesn't seem chilly at all. I guess I expected mint instead of this soft powder scent. Wet: Powder again. It's very perfume-y. Dry: I can tell pretty quickly this will not work for me. It smells like the sort of lotion they'd make in industrial quantity for hospitals or nursing homes, it's so soft-floral-powdery. Overall: Not for me.

Snow Moon- In Bottle: Very floral and light. Wet: Ooh, a strong pine bloom. No, wait--eucalyptus! With a touch of citrus, like orange. Dry: How pretty this is! The orange turns into orange-cherry, with that light sweet cool note that is just the memory of the eucalytptus. Delicious staying power! Overall: I really like!