sarahj

Jack in vial: butter, pumpkin, and spices wet: pumpkin and peach; the spices are quickly fading away dry: peach is in the forefront, with pumpkin in the background...after about 2 hours the pumpkin fades away completely, leaving only peach for another 2 hours or so verdict: unfortunately, Jack is not what I expected it to be. I wanted more pumpkin and spices, and less peach. I might try layering this with Three Witches to get more spice, but I really was hoping for more pumpkin. I won't be ordering a big bottle. I have yet to decide whether or not I'll use up the imp or swap it.

Twilight I received this as a freebie in my most recent order. in vial: I think I smell something smoky(?) along with jasmine and honeysuckle wet: the lavender is in the background dry: strong jasmine, with honeysuckle in the background...the lavender has faded away verdict: this is a nice floral, but doesn't do too much for me. I will finish the imp but won't order a big bottle.

Nephilim this was a freebie included with my most recent order in vial: spicy, incensy...I can really pick out the frankincense and the cardamom wet: I smell sweet fig and can begin to detect a bit of green lavender in the background dry: the perfect blend of spice, sweet, and incense. I'm really enjoying this. It lasts about 4 hours before fading and I am considering a big bottle. I haven't quite decided yet.

Melpomene this was included as an extra with my first order, and I am just now getting around to try it (why did I wait so long?) in vial: I can smell mint, lavender, and orange blossom wet: the geranium starts to make an appearance...this a a lovely, minty floral...usually minty scents are too minty on me, but this blend tempers the mint just enough drying: on the drive to work, this went through a funny soapy phase...it was good smelling soap, but I was ready to write it off, until... dry: the soapy smell went away and the lovely floral mint blend came back verdict: Good lasting power (about 5 hours). I would put this on my big bottle list, but I don't know if I'll get a chance to order it before its discontinued

Malice in vial: sweet ylang ylang and myrrh...a lovely, warm, sweet scent wet: the same dry: as it dries I can smell the patchouli in the background verdict: this lasts 5 hours...good staying power...I like the scent, but I'm not sure it will go on my big bottle list. I'll definitely use up the imp, though.

Greed Base and earthy, yet glittering with golden notes: patchouli, heliotrope, copal and oakmoss. in vial: patchouli plus a medicinal smell...a smell that reminds me of the way a hospital smells...not a very promising start wet: the hospital smell quickly fades...I smell patchouli softened by some of the other notes (I am not familiar with heliotrope or copal, so I can't pick them out) dry: the oakmoss has become more apparent 2 hours later: this has turned very powdery on me verdict: probably not for me, but I will try again at a later date, just to be sure, before swapping

Rakshasa in vial: Patchouli...very strong patchouli with rose in the background wet: same as above except now I think I catch a whiff of grapefruit or another sharp citrus every now and then dry: the patchouli and rose have settled into a lovely combination. 4.5 hours later: As I'm sitting at my desk I can still smell the patchouli and rose. The funny thing is that when I press my wrist to my nose all I can smell is sandalwood (which I didn't smell before). verdict: It took me about 4 hours for me to decide that I like this, and I may be ordering a big bottle in the future.

The Raven in the vial: violets...very sweet violets wet: violets and musk...I like dry: violets, with bits of musk, iris, and sandalwood floating in the background 1 hour later: baby powder...and not much longer after that...pouf! it has disappeared. verdict: I, too, was expecting something a lot "darker." I think I may be swapping this, but I will try it one more time just to be sure.

Undertow in vial: a medicinal, Vick's Vap-O-Rub scent wet: the same (I actually like the smell of Vick's, but I'm not sure I want a perfume oil that smells like this) dry: thankfully, this dries to a sweet lotus scent, with mint lingering in the background...I'm not smelling the juniper at all. Unfortunately, it has faded after about 2 hours. verdict: I like this, but wish it were longer lasting. I'll use up this imp, but probably won't be purchasing more.

You may want to skip Old Kathmandu...to me it's a very spicy lotus, and you mentioned that you don't like spicy scents. It also has a strong cedar note in it, and you mentioned not liking woods either.

Lampades received as a freebie in my first order in vial: sweet cranberries wet: other notes start to come out and I can also detect lily and ginger. It's a wonderful combination dry: the lily has come to the forefront (this is no surprise; it seems as though whenever a fragrance has lily it often becomes the most prominent note on me...good thing I like the smell of lilies!) I can still smell hints of cranberry, ginger, and musk. 2 hours later: gone...I wish this had more staying power verdict: I love the scent and will use up the imp, but lack of staying power will most likely prevent me from buying a big bottle. I just did a search and found that there seem to be no other scents with cranberry! I think we need some!

Old Kathmandu The scent of sacred incense swirling up the steep slopes to Swayambhunath Stupa. Saffron, blessed sandalwood, Himalayan cedar and the miraculous lotus of the Buddha with chiuri bark and Nepalese spices. received as a freebie with my first order in vial: the sharp, strong smell of cedar...with something else in the background...I almost want to say I smell anise wet: cedar, sandalwood, and, like diabolique, I also smell root beer dry: the lotus comes to the forefront and mixes with the spices...this is a nice, spicy lotus scent 3.5 hours later: faded to nothing verdict: I like this, but I wish it had a little more staying power. I'll definitely use up this imp!

Old Sybaris in vial: violet and tonka; with a faint hint of banana (?) wet: at first application, I smell banana...but not fresh banana...artificial banana...banana candy? bleah drying: the banana slowly disappears, leaving a wonderful smell of violet and tonka and clove...I like this 1 hour later: the spicy clove scent has disappeared, leaving the sweet scent of violets and tonka 4 hours later: same as above...lasting power seems very good verdict: this is the exact same problem I had with Le Serpent qui Danse...it seems like the combination of violets and tonka (or vanilla, in the case of Le Serpent) smells like bananas on my skin. And even though I like the end result, I don't think I like going through that banana "phase."

Delight in the vial: I smell roses and something sharp and vaguely citrus wet: same as in the vial; as it dries the sharp smell mellows a bit; the rose becomes very prominent dry: I smell rosewood. 1 hour later: fading fast 3 hours later: all I smell is a faint hint of jasmine 4 hours later: gone verdict: I'm not sure I like this; I will try it again before making a final decision.

The Hesperides in the vial: someone has taken an apple tree, apples, leaves, branches, bark, and all, ground it up and put it in the vial...tart apples with a lot of woody scent wet: same as in the vial, but as it dries the wood scent disappears and the apple turns sweeter, more caramel-y dry: after about an hour this has turned soapy on me verdict: I like the first two stages of the scent but not the final result. I think I may swap this one away.

Harvest Moon in the bottle: Whoa! Wine! That's all I smell. In fact I was a little hesitant to put it on this morning because I didn't want to arrive at work smelling like I'd just downed a bottle of red for breakfast. wet: On my skin, the sage and lily take over and the wine fades into the background. I also smell a faint hint of the pumpkin. dry: The lily and other florals take over, with a faint hint of fruity-ness in the background (mostly the grape and wine; unfortunately the pumpkin has disappeared). verdict: I like how this smells overall, but I was hoping to smell the pumpkin and apple more. I will enjoy the bottle, but its not my favorite. It has pretty good lasting power...fades after about 5 hours.

Le Serpent qui Danse in vial: sweet, sweet violet and gardenia wet: I distinctly smell overripe bananas (yuck!) mixed with violet. I am very tempted to wash this off right away, but decide to let it dry. dry: after about 20 minutes the banana smell goes away and I am left with the lovely combination of violet and vanilla. verdict: I'm not sure I can handle smelling like bananas for 20 minutes. I am going to give this another try before I make my final decision. ETA: The result was the same on the second try, so I swapped this one away.

Regan in vial: sugary sweet orchids wet: orchids and sugary vanilla dry: the vanilla mellows as this dries and creates a wonderful combination of not-too-sweet vanilla and orchids 2 hours later: unfortunately this has morphed into a plastic-y vanilla scent...not pleasant at all. I will give Regan one more try sometime in the future before I decide to swap it away. ETA: Unfortunately, I tried this again and it still morphed into a plastic-y scent. I think I will have to swap this one away.

Red Moon In bottle: Cherries and oranges with a hint of amber. Wet: the orange fades a bit and the amber comes on a bit stronger Dry: An indistinct, ripe, fruity scent (this must be the Dragon's Blood...this is my first experience with it). I can also smell the orange and a hint of amber and herbs. Wonderful! After 4 hours: the fruity notes have faded, leaving behind lovely floral and herbal notes. A very different scent, but still wonderful! I'm so glad I ordered this!

Ave Maria Gratia Plena Received as a freebie in my first order. in vial: I smell lemon, musk, and a bit of sage. Wet: the lily starts to overpower the other scents. Dry: lily and jasmine...a very nice floral, but the other scents have disappeared. Too bad, as I am very fond of lemon scents. This fades after about 5 hours. I really like this for a light, floral scent. It will be on my list of "possible" big bottles to buy.

O In vial: Mmmmm honey and vanilla...makes me hungry. Wet: Same honey and vanilla smell...a bit too food-y for my taste. Dry: Wonderful!! The amber has come out a bit to tone down that food-y smell and the wonderful combination of honey in the forefront, with vanilla and amber in the background has me smelling my wrists all night! (Which is ok, since I was alone in my office most of the night). Amber by itself has a tendency to go powdery on me, but this combination is just right. Turns out to be pretty long-lasting...I could still smell it 7+ hours later when I went to bed. I think this will be my first non-LE big bottle purchase! ETA: I received my first BPAL compliment while wearing this. A coworker asked me "Did you light a candle? It smells good in here." I said "It's not a candle, it's me! Here, smell!!"

Envy In vial: I smell mint, and green lavender (like the whole lavender plant, leaves and all), and the barest hint of lime zest. wet: I only smell mint and lavender...the lime is gone. dry: immediate drydown has the lavender at the forefront, with the mint peeking through. Over the course of an hour, the mint comes to the forefront, but then something strange happens...Envy morphs into a diaper smell (not dirty diapers, but clean unused diapers...a very plastic-y smell). I do not want to smell like diapers! Fortunately that phase only lasts about 30 minutes, then the scent completely fades away. I do not have very high hopes for this one, but I will try it again later before swapping away. I may also try it as a room scent. ETA: I tried this again and I did not get the plastic diaper scent this time around. However, in less than 90 minutes, Envy had completely faded away. This doesn't have enough staying power for me, but I will most likely use up the imp.

Snake Oil In vial: why do I smell lemons? Lemons and vanilla. A very nice combination. Wet: I, too, have stains on my skin. I still smell lemons and vanilla. Dry: The lemon scent disappears and I smell smoky, spicy vanilla. Different than any other vanilla scent I have tried, more sophisticated. This is one long lasting oil. I could still smell it 24 hours later after I had taken a bath, put on scented lotion, and tried another BPAL oil. That other oil quickly disappeared and the Snake Oil reappeared. While I do like this scent, its a little too strong for me. I think I'll use up my imp, but probably will not buy a big bottle of this.

Phantasm In vial: Jasmine and lemon verbena. A lovely, light scent. Wet: Strong jasmine, with green tea gradually making itself known. Dry: Mainly jasmine, with a hint of tea and verbena. I never do smell the neroli. A nice scent, but unfortunately it was gone within an hour. I probably will not be ordering a big bottle.

Morella In the vial: Iris, beautiful iris with a faint smell of sage and something else (orris? civet? I'm not familiar with either of those, so I can't say). Wet: Smells much the same as it did in the vial, but I have lost the sage altogether. Iris, with a hint of something green. Dry: Still smells the same. A beautiful, light, floral, green smell. Very nice. 2 hours later: Gone! There is nothing left! I wish this beautiful scent hadn't faded so fast. I will use up this imp, but probably won't be buying a larger bottle.