themeaningofV

In the imp: BOOZE. Booze and tobacco. Wet: More boooooze and a soft leather. This stage worried me because it was really, really quite alcoholic - I imagine it's what waking up after one too many drinks smells like. I get more Chardonnay than rum, though I can pick out both notes. Dry: This is INCREDIBLE after it's dried down. It's all tonka and tobacco smoothness, chewy and almost caramelly. I could not stop huffing my wrist. Verdict: Imp is a keeper. Will require a full-day test to figure out whether or not to upgrade.

For you I'd rec Ezekiel's Phoenix, The Vine, and The Black Apple of Saturn.

I think you'd really enjoy Vain Sorceress and Summer Lace.

Thanks for the suggestions! I've tried some of these, to varying results, but I hadn't really considered VILF and Seance at all before (the former maybe because I thought it'd be impossible to find). I tried a decant of Pink Snowballs from an unknown year and it went to straight-up plastic on me, which was a shame. Hope sounds promising! I don't know why I keep forgetting about that one.

Yeah, I'm also a bit curious about a BPAL dupe of Rose Jam. Delirium is pretty close, though maybe a tad fruitier, like Jangzonrice said. Also, Ro's Argan Body Conditioner by Lush smells very close to BPAL's Love, if a bit creamier.

My top 5: 1. Count Dracula 2. Blood Kiss 3. Womb Furie 4. Knight in Shiny Armor 5. Love I second Yemaya for melony goodness. If you want more dandelion, you may want to check out Roadhouse, though the rest of your notes might not be your thing. Also, Aurelia and Stentor from last year's Song of Nature series, for berry, tea, and mint. Have you tried Count Dracula? It's hard to find, but would fit right in there. You might also enjoy Les Infortunes de la Vertu (leather and moss), The Marquis de Carabas (boozy leather comfort), Wolf Moon '13 (dark and somewhat "airy"), and Zmey Gorynych (warm resins and leather with a touch of frost).

I tend to amp rose and florals - sometimes it's just ROOOSE, other times it goes sour, and sometimes it's GREEN GREEN GREEN. :/ It depresses me because I LOVE rose and wish I could wear it all the time, hah. Blends with rose that work or don't amp on me: Love (LE) - Marshmallows and rose sugar with whipped vanilla cream and a hint of strawberry. Harlot (GC) - Somalian rose, Moroccan rose and Bulgar rose with a sultry dribble of cinnamon. Harvest Moon '13 (Lunacy) - Red roses and wild red leaves. (I don't like this blend because the "leaves" smell like celery on me, but the rose is GORGEOUS) Baghdad (DC) - Amber, saffron and bergamot with mandarin, nutmeg, Bulgar rose, musk and sandalwood. A Thought and a Legend Too Hideous for Sanity or Consciousness (LE) - Black rose, oudh, rosewood, and sea-kissed patchouli, and the smoke of a snuffed tallow candle.
 L'Heure Verte (CD) - Spilled absinthe, scorched sugar cubes, opium smoke, lilac blossoms, and rose water. Lilith's Bubblegum & Roses (LE) - A spray of pink roses, red rose petals, and pink sticky bubblegum!

I haven't tried it for myself, but Roux-Ga-Roux sounds up your alley: "Spanish moss, swamp jessamine, bog water, cypress, hickory wood, lobelia, sweet flag, wisteria, and marsh milkweed."

You might like: Eden (fig leaf, fig fruit, honeyed almond milk, toasted coconut, sandalwood) (somehow didn't catch that this was in your description, d'oh) Eve (apple blossom, rose, ylang ylang, honey) Jezebel (honey, roses, orange blossom, sandalwood) Maenad (strawberry, orange blossom, carnation, black poppy, hibiscus) Swank (a crisp pomegranate martini)

I used Dragon's Hide almost nightly over the summer. I find it amazingly relaxing.

This is really nicely balanced between the gin and the pomegranate - it's not too boozy, but not too tart, either. I can kind of see where the dryer sheet/soap comparisons come from, but I think it's more pleasant than that. I'll hang onto this and save it for warmer months, or for nights out when I'm feeling a bit girly.

On my skin, the chili pepper came to the forefront with a fruit mixture backing. Surprisingly delicious! As the chili pepper subsides, it's mainly coconut on top, with apple the most prominent fruit in the background. I really like this one.

This is mostly sharp cinnamony gingerbread on me, with pine coming through a little ways through drydown. The "Satyr" aspect doesn't come out on me until hours after it's dried, at which point it's mainly a clean, somewhat spicy red musk. I'll let this settle for a week and then try again. Also, applying this straight out of the shower was not a good idea - it turned my skin red.

That was exactly what Debauchery was on me. It has a lot of scary reviews, but it's very different for everyone.

Decant from unknown year. Wet: INSTANT plastic. Not "hmmm, is this the plastic note everyone's talking about?" but HARDCORE plastic. :/ Dry: Dries extremely quickly. My skin eats this immediately. Some wafts of vanilla-rose, but otherwise difficult to smell. Think this will be going into the swap pile. I really wanted this to work - maybe I'll track down a decant of the 2013 edition to compare.

Spritzed this at NEWC and ADORED it. Gorgeous tangy citrus that left my hair smelling a bit like grapefruit and lime. It's a very refreshing scent that'd be perfect for summer!

Musky, sweet, cool. Very, very smooth. NOM.

Airy and sweet, like spiced whipped cream. Subtle thread of alcohol. I'm really having trouble getting a hold of this one, I think I was expecting it to be darker? It's light, both mood-wise and on my skin. Hrrrmm.

I don't get any leather from this. But that's okay, because it's STILL AWESOME. A beautiful mix of lavender, oakmoss, sage, and polish. Herbal, clean, and simply amazing. eta: The vanilla comes out more every time I wear this. Oh MAAAAAN. I'm in love with this. Top 5, easily.

This was kinda bad on me - I was hoping for sweets and booziness, but only got the smoke and chains. :'| Oh well.

Alice was WAY pink-feeling to me. I also second Lilith's Bubblegum and Roses.

Sniffed at Will Call and couldn't get farther than that - I thought "vetiver?" before my eyes started stinging and watering like crazy. Maybe it was the black pepper?

This is a gorgeous, amazing, /clean/ musk on me. I was expecting something scary, which this is assuredly not on me. I need some imps. Or a bottle. Either way, it's win. edit: Went back to Healthy Living the day after and tested this again after being freshly showered and not stuck in a car for hours. This time, the cinnamon really came out and warmed the blend considerably. Still awesome.

Others have already said it, but I'm going to mention it again: if you're underwhelmed at first try, wait and try again. I was so unsure of this when I tested it fresh from the mailbox - the gingerbread was a little too sharp and though I liked the drydown, I didn't think it was my kind of thing at all - but about a week later, it's fabulous. Gorgeous gingerbread with a bit of a lemony icing kick and really, really wonderful spices. I agree with the comparison to spiced chai. This is awesome and I can imagine it'll only get better with age. Get backups.

Frimp from the Lab. In the imp: Mostly honey and rose. Loved it immediately and wondered how it escaped my attention for so long. On my skin: This is where it gets tricky. I tested this a day or two ago and found that it's the same rose from Two, Five & Seven and Eve - when it's fantastic, it's fantastic, but sometimes it'll go unreasonably musty/sour/wilted on my skin. It really, really depends on the day, or where I'm at in my cycle, or what the weather is - it's that picky. So the first time testing it didn't go well, but I'm trying it out again right now and it's much smoother. There's still a slight sourness from the rose, but there's also a gorgeous tartness from the orange blossom and honey. At the right time, this would probably be like Eve - very sophisticated and womanly. I'll keep this around to test again every so often, but man, it makes me wish I had a scent locket.