JuliskaMarie

I did a double review of this with my husband, since it seems very unisex. In the bottle: Me:This is a very dark smell! I'm mostly getting leather & tobacco (& yes, it does smell specifically like black leather) held together with what must be the oppoponax & a little bit of black amber. Him: Very sweet & smoky. Wet on skin: Me: Black amber mostly, everything else is currently hiding in the background. Him: I smell like a beach & exotic flowers. Dry on skin: Me: Leather & tobacco mostly, with some dark, musky amber & a little oppoponax. I once had a friend tell me while wearing this that I "smell like an old-school goth club" & I definitely get that vibe from it! Him: Leathery & smoky, with a little bit of something sweet. (Me: To me it smells mostly like oppoponax, with a little bit of smoky leather on him) After a few hours: Me: It's sweetened up a little now & there's not really any dominant notes, but it still has a "dark & tough" feel to it. Very nice! Him: It's still a little sweet, but the notes have blended together better now & it smells much smoother. Verdict: Me: This is my go-to perfume for when I need to feel scary, confident & tough (eg: walking alone at night, gaming, etc... or if I ever go to a goth club again someday, haha!). It's not something I'd usually wear during the day & certainly not something I'd wear if I want to feel flirty, friendly, sweet or chatty, but it does have a purpose for me & it does it SO well! Him: I can definitely see myself wearing this sometimes! (Me: The reducer cap on my bottle decided it didn't feel like reducing today & so his arm got quite a bit more perfume on it than any sane person would ever wear, so I was worried that this might go quite overpowering on him! However, even with his arms completely coated, this was far milder on him than one drop was on me! Not my favourite scent on him so far, but still nice.)

In the imp: Lily of the Valley & Musk, with just a hint of pear & what must be the bois du rose. Like a magical night! A perfect match for the story! Wet on skin: It's muskier on me & not quite as pretty as in the imp, but I still like it so far. Dry on skin: Oooohhh, it's prettied up! It's still muskier on me than in the imp, but the other notes are making more of an appearance now. After a few hours: The musk is still dominant & it's still not as nice as the imp, but pretty nonetheless! Verdict: Not as exciting as some of my other BPAL scents, but still pretty enough that I suspect I'll get a decent amount of use out of it. If I ever get a scent locket though, I'll have to test this with it!

In the imp: A calm, fruity, dewy, white floral. The notes are all quite strong, but they're blending together instead of competing. It's strangely relaxing (like a cool breeze on a spring evening) & a little hypnotising. This definitely suits a princess cursed with a magical sleep! Wet on skin: The scent strengthens for a moment & then... almost vanishes! It's VERY faint on me now, like a slightly fruity-floral dew. What little is left does still smell magical though - like the aftermath of a spell, perhaps? After the princess has already been asleep for a long time. Dry on skin: It's back! Milder & slightly muskier than in the imp, but closer to the imp than it was when wet. After a few hours: About the same as dry, just a little more faded & slightly soapy (but in a nice way). Verdict: This is REALLY pretty, despite behaving weirdly at first! I can see this finding it's way into my most-worn list!

In the imp: EXACTLY like how I would expect a fairytale witch's garden to smell! A mixture of vegetables, cooking herbs & magical spellcasting herbs! VERY intense & crazy, but I love it! Wet on skin: This amps really strongly on my skin - I only put on a small amount & I already smell like a Herbology teacher at Hogwarts! This is very potent, but also very, very cool! Dry on skin: Ok, it's calmed down now! Before it was like I was either currently lying in a witch's garden (or working in the hothouses at Hogwarts teaching Herbology!), now it's more like I'm just catching a whiff of the garden on the wind, or like you're just walking past the Herbology teacher at Hogwarts. Either way, this is GORGEOUS! I think this is the nicest green/herbal scent I've ever smelled! After a few hours: Almost not even there. A tiny bit of carrot & parsley with a hint of something magical, but this is almost completely gone. Verdict: Not very long lasting, but lovely!

In the imp: Magical! This is a light, slightly herby-lettucey floral which definitely smells like something out of a fairytale! Wet on skin: It seems slightly deeper & warmer on my skin, but the overall effect is about the same. This is SO pretty! Dry on skin: A little more earthy & musky now - must be the orris. I don't love it as much as I did wet & in the imp, but it's still pretty. After a few hours: About the same as newly dry, maybe slightly more faded? Verdict: I like this, but I don't know how often I'll wear it. If I get a scent locket, then yeah, I can see this getting a lot of use!

In the imp: White rose, jasmine & water lily, held together by a tiny amount of rose amber. A Very light, aquatic floral! Wet on skin: Oooohhh, this is so pretty! The rose & cala lily are almost not there on me, but the jasmine + water lily combination is GORGEOUS! It reminds me a lot of Oceanus by The Body Shop (one of my favourite perfumes, which sadly is no longer made) & looking up the notes for that (top note is water lily, middle notes include rose & jasmine), this makes sense. It's not exactly the same, but it's close enough that I may have found my Oceanus replacement! Dry on skin: Water lily & jasmine with a little bit of rose amber. My skin pretty much always eats rose, so it's not surprising that the rose has vanished already. A very pretty aquatic floral! VERY similar to Oceanus on my skin & this makes me so very happy! After a few hours: Faded & less like Oceanus than before, but still pretty & still close enough that it'll be a decent substitute! Verdict: Ahhhhh! I love this! I'm going to need a bottle when my imp runs out, because this is probably going to get a lot of wear!

In the imp: Dark, cold, wet, creepy &... grapefruit. What? This is almost exactly how the lab describes it... & then there's the grapefruit. Previous reviewers were not kidding about that! Wet on skin: The grapefruit is much milder so far - it's just hovering around the edge of the scent. There's seaweed & darkness & all manner of spooky underwater things here! Something almost floral too. Dry on skin: A dark, wet, evil, grapefruity musk. This is bizarre & I don't yet know how I feel about this. After a few hours: Evil grapefruit musk. Verdict: I... have no idea! It's not a bad smell, it's just... really weird! I don't yet know whether I'll wear it or not! Maybe if I get a scent locket?

In the imp: Mint, chocolate, moss, pistachio & a hint of vanilla & cedar. The notes smell like they shouldn't work together, & yet they do. Delicious, but also confusing & strange. Wet on skin: Almost exactly the same as in the imp, except the chocolate is more dominant. It smells like it should be edible & delicious, but then there's moss & trees! Dry on skin: The moss & cedar are a little stronger than before. Like you're in a dense, mossy forest eating mint chocolates & other (pistachio & vanilla-mint) treats. After a few hours: I'm not mostly getting a minty, chocolate moss. The other scents are still there too, but they've faded & mingled together. The overall feel is still very much that of eating sweets in a mossy forest! Verdict: This is so weird, but I love it! Oddly comforting - a good scent for cold days where part of you wants to go on an adventure in the woods, but the rest of you just wants to stay in your PJs & cuddle up under a blanket.

In the imp: Oh. My. God. Exactly as described by the lab. I desperately want to drink this - I won't, because I'm not stupid, but man do I want to! It smells like the most luxurious, hedonistic, alcoholic dessert (or cocktail) you could imagine (yes, even without chocolate)! Wet on skin: Can I just eat my arm? The hazelnut & almond amp first, then the buttercream, & then the booze. About the same as in the imp, only sweeter & a little less boozy. Amazing! Dry on skin: The notes have all blended together in the most heavenly way! So decadent & intoxicating! After a few hours: Slightly more faded & a little sweeter than before (more buttercream, less booze), but still gorgeous! Verdict: This is NOT a daytime scent for me! This is a scent to be worn to a bar for a night of creamy cocktails, or to a party where there will be a lot of alcohol & sweet foods. Anywhere where you're expected to indulge & not behave yourself! I LOVE this, but it's too intense to be something I can wear too often!

In the imp: PINK! Pink citrus, pink fruit, pink floral & pink musk held together with a little sage, woods & patchouli (which also all smell a little "pink"). I usually can't stand patchouli (I don't like it & it doesn't like me either), but it seems quite nice in here! It smells chaotic, but in a fun way - very much appropriate for a game of croquet in Wonderland! Wet on skin: Mostly pink citrus & nectarine with a little bit of sagey, woody musk & only the *tiniest* dab of patchouli. A very light & bright feeling smell, but grounded slightly by the musk, patchouli & sage. Dry on skin: The patchouli is a little stronger, but still not enough to be concerning. The main note I'm getting now is NECTARINE! The other notes have mostly faded into the background, but the musk, sage & patchouli are just strong enough to keep it smelling like a sweet perfume, instead of just a fresh nectarine. So yummy! After a few hours: Sweet, musky nectarine, with a mild pink citrusy edge & a very faint hint of woody patchouli. Verdict: This starts off completely bright & crazy, then fades to an almost-sane, sweet & fruity musk. Odd & certainly not an everyday perfume for me, but I like it!

In the imp: Woodsy, amber-y vanilla with some fresh-cut sweet peas hanging around the edge of the scent. Wet on skin: Sugary, (green) floral-y resin. Strange, but not unpleasant. Dry on skin: A warm (the amber + sandalwood), sugary-vanilla with a little bit of floral behind it all. After a few hours: A sweet, warm, creamy vanilla-amber. There is a tiny hint of sweet pea, but only if you're looking for it. Verdict: Not what I was expecting, but still nice. Probably won't be one of my most-used perfumes, but good for if I'm after a really mild, comforting foodie smell. Reading back over previous reviews, I'm wondering if this one might be a bit better aged? My imp is brand new, but some time ago I tested a friend's older imp of this & I remember there being more floral to it.

In the imp: Exactly as the lab describes! White cakes with vanilla & berries! So yummy! Wet on skin: Something a little spicy or slightly sour is coming out. Like the cakes aren't fresh, they've gone a bit stale & cream has been left out with them & has started to turn. Dry on skin: They've freshened up again, but now the smell is VERY mild. As though earlier in the day you baked white cakes with vanilla icing, cream & berries, but the cakes have since been taken away & you're left in the kitchen with the crumbs & the vanilla you spilled while baking. It's still a nice smell, but there's not much of it! After a few hours: Same as freshly dried. It's really nice, but there's really not much here. Verdict: Very yummy scent, but also very mild. I like it & I know I'll wear it, but I wish it were a bit stronger. Maybe I just need to really slather it on?

In the imp: Exactly as described by the lab. A very strange smell, like you're at a potluck & everyone's brought something that would be delicious on it's own, but you really shouldn't try eating them all together. Wet on skin: Same, except that the pineapple & custard are standing out most. I'm not a fan of pineapple or custard, so while I think this could smell delicious to someone else, to me it just... doesn't. Dry on skin: Eeewww, the pineapple is all over everything. Yuck! It lives up well to the description & I can pick out all the different foods quite easily once I get past the pineapple, I just can't see myself ever wanting to smell like this! It's got quite a bit of throw too, so I'm not really enjoying this, but I'll give it some time to redeem itself. After a few hours: Gross. Mostly pineapple & custard, with some roasted meats in the background. The smell is fairly accurate to the description, so if you're a fan of those foods, you'd probably like it. For me though? Yuk. Verdict: To the swap pile with you!

In the imp: Gorgeous! Rose & carnation, with a little citrus hit from the bergamot & some honeyed milk smoothing it all out! Wet on skin: My skin has eaten all the rose (as usual!) so it's mostly carnation, with a little citrusy honey-milk. Sweet & pretty, but nothing spectacular. Dry on skin: Ooohhh, a little rose came back! It's not a fresh rose, though, more like dried pink rose petals - with the bergamot & carnation it's sort of a homemade potpourri smell. The milk & honey are still there in the background. After a few hours: Like a sweet, milky carnation. Nice, but not very exciting. Verdict: I might wear this occasionally, but I don't think I'll bother replacing the imp if/when it runs out.

In the imp: Lilies, something I assume must be the stephanotis & a tiny bit of cherry, but only if you're really sniffing closely for it. Quite dull & old-lady-ish. Wet on skin: CHERRY! Cherry lollies more than real cherry. The Lily of the Valley is quite prominent now too. Much prettier than it was, but still a bit dull. There's a lot of greenery in here too. Not really how I'd imagine the Queen of Hearts to smell! Dry on skin: CHERRY LOLLIES! The flowers are waaay off in the background, hidden behind the cherry lollies & some greenery. This smells like a kids bubblebath. After a few hours: Like a cheap, cherry scented, kids bubblebath - the kind that comes in a novelty bottle with a plastic figurine on it or shaped like a cartoon character. Verdict: I think this will have to go in the swap pile! This isn't something I ever want to smell like unless I've just been bathing a child!

In the imp: Ginger & apricot! The ginger is very strong! This is interesting & I'm actually a little nervous about this! Wet on skin: Still mostly ginger, but not quite as potent. I'm getting little hits of jasmine & apricot too, but the apricot is a little too sweet - like dried apricot rather than fresh. Dry on skin: A VERY interesting & unusual scent! The ginger is still a little too strong for my taste, BUT not enough to put me off completely! The vanilla has come out to mix with the apricot & that part of the scent is amazing! The jasmine is just hanging out in the background & the ginger is mostly just adding a little spiciness to the whole thing. Getting nicer by the minute! After a few hours: This is so strange, but SO pretty! While the ginger is still the first thing I smell, it's much lighter now & just adds a hint of spice to the rest of it. It's very sweet, but not sickly so - vanilla & apricot together smell like a sweet dessert (especially with the touch of ginger that remains), but not like you're smelling the dessert up close, you're just in the room with it. It makes me think of an apricot pie, or apricot syrup - both served with vanilla ice cream. It's as though I'm standing in a kitchen with a breeze coming through the open window, bringing with it the distant fragrance of jasmine in a nearby garden before mixing with the scent of the apricot pie/syrup & icecream. Such an unexpected combination, but WOW! Verdict: Love, love, LOVE! I was NOT expecting this to end the way it did! It's still not something I'd wear everyday - mainly because of how strong the ginger is at first - but I know I'll be getting a fair bit of use out of this & can see myself upgrading to a bottle when the imp runs out!

In the bottle: Like a cottage garden surrounded by a meadow in a fairytale! The only notes I can really pick out are Jasmine & orange blossom, the rest are all mixed together really well. Very evocative! Wet on skin: The orange blossom stands out most, then the jasmine & thyme. Everything else is still mixed together. It's nice, but not as pretty as it is in the bottle. Dry on skin: It's evened out now & smells pretty much the same as in the bottle! Just gorgeous! The kind of scent you'd wear on a picnic in the country! After a few hours: It's now a slightly-soapy (but in a nice way) jasmine-based floral. Not as evocative or fresh as it was at first, but still a very pretty scent. Verdict: I love this! Very glad I bought it! I'd be interested to try it in a scent locket too, just to see if that helps prevent the "soap" tone it develops after being worn for a while.

I did a double review of this with my husband, since most of the Ars Draconis scents seem very unisex. In the imp: Me: Black smoke, ash, dragon's blood resin, just-extinguished flames. Slightly sweet. Him: Like a lolly shop. Wet on skin: Me: Cold, icy smoke & cold leather. Almost scaley. Him: Smoky leather. Dry on skin: Me: Smoky but very cold. Cold scales. Icy, smoked leather. Him: Classy, smoky, aged leather. After a few hours: Me: Still scales - slightly smoky & leathery, but also cold & airy, like a dragon in flight. Cold & fresh. Him: Faded. Still slightly leathery & smoky, but more subtle & resiny now. Verdict: Me: Nice, but odd (I don't think this is quite what it's supposed to smell like!). I probably wouldn't wear it often though. I think my husband will get more use out of this than I will. Him: I like it & can definitely see myself wearing it! (Me: It's quite subtle, but I do really like this one on him!)

I did a double review of this with my husband, since most of the Ars Draconis scents seem very unisex. In the imp: Me: Warm, smoked berries over dragon's blood resin. Almost like a type of port or other sweet red wine. Him: Sweet, smoky, hint of bark. Wet on skin: Me: Minty & cold, but slightly smoky. Like a cold, recently-extinguished outdoor firepit in winter. Him: Chemicals. Specifically cleaning chemicals. Dry on skin: Me: Warm, smoky berry port, but with an icy edge somehow (like you're outside in the cold, but the drink is warm). Him: Gross cleaning chemicals, like carpet steam cleaning. After a few hours: Me: Faded. More resiny & musky now, but still a smoky, berry port. Him: Faded, but still chemicals. Verdict: Me: Not something I'd wear frequently, but still really nice! It's very warm & comforting - something I can see myself wearing on lazy-days, when it's cold & wet outside & I'm snuggled up indoors. Reading over the lab's notes, I think the fig is what's giving me the "sweet wine/port" scent & the black musk must be the smokiness I keep getting. Him: Absolutely would not wear this. (Me: This smells really gross on him! First scent we've tried on him that's actually gone bad!)

A truly fae nectar! Dragon’s blood resin and honeyed vanilla. I did a double review of this with my husband, since most of the Ars Draconis scents seem very unisex. In the imp: Me: Sweet - dragon's blood resin drenched in milk, vanilla & honey. Him: Sweet strawberries. Wet on skin: Me: Smoky vanilla-honey milk. Like someone spilled a pot of milk sweetened with honey & vanilla over firepit ashes & resin. Him: Like cherry flavoured boiled lollies. Dry on skin: Me: Warm, slightly-smoked & resiny honey-vanilla milk. Weird, but lovely. Him: Smells like a boiled lolly shop now, cherry is still dominant. After a few hours: Me: Unchanged & still quite strong! Yummy! (Him: It smells like some kind of liquer on her) Him: Slightly faded. but still a lolly shop. (Me: a slightly-stale smelling lolly shop, but yeah, definitely a lolly shop on him!) Verdict: Me: Yummy! I would definitely wear this! It's sweet & lovely - good for when I'm in a "foodie" mood, but don't want to wear anything too strong or overpowering. I find this scent very soothing, comforting & relaxing, like drinking a warm milk sweetened with honey & vanilla before bedtime (add some spices & it's my favourite pre-bed drink!). Him: Nice smell, but I do not want to smell like a lolly shop, so I don't think I would ever wear this.

I did a double review of this with my husband, since most of the Ars Draconis scents seem very unisex. In the imp: Me: Warm, musky resin. Not a human musk, more like what I imagine a dragon's musk would smell like. Him: Warm & smoky. Wet on skin: Me: Sweet resin. Definitely very dragon-ish, but also light. Him: Smells like a flowering wood - like a cherry oak or similar. Dry on skin: Me: Slightly smoky, sweet resin. Nice, but very neutral. Him: Christmas! I smell like a fresh pine tree! (Me: It really does smell like a pine tree on him!) After a few hours: Me: Unchanged. Still quite strong too. Him: The pine has faded, but this still smells like Christmas. Verdict: Me: Nice, but a bit boring. This would likely work really well for layering with other perfumes or deepening any of the other Ars Draconis scents. Him: Not bad, but strange. I can't see myself wearing this.

In the imp: Iris, sandalwood & dark musk with a tiny bit of neroli & even less violet. Something in it does make me think of a bird with sleek, black, glossy feathers. Definitely something a raven in a dark poem (or a fairytale) would smell like! Wet on skin: Woah, there's the violet! It's not a clean, fresh violet though. It's a dirty, musky crushed violet. The neroli is there too & the iris & sandalwood have merged into the background. The kind of perfume an ominous fictional raven would wear if he were turned into a man (masculine, but not excessively so). I imagine the raven's human-form as very pale, with dark hair & dressed solely in black & grey, in a Victorian-style suit. That's who would smell like this. Dry on skin: Violety-irisy-sandalwoody-musk! Mmmmm! More masculine than most of my usual favourites (I'm still getting the Raven-turned-man vibe), but not so masculine that I would feel strange wearing it. After a few hours: Soft, fuzzy, sandalwoody, musky violet! Lovely! It's a little darker & more masculine than the scents I usually wear on a daily basis (most of my favourites are ultra-girly smelling), but I still really love it! Verdict: I can definitely see this making it's way into my regular rotation! I tried it on my husband & it smelled pretty nice on him too (though not quite as lovely as it did on me & it's faded a lot faster on him than it has on me), so I'll probably have to upgrade to a bottle at some point, especially if both of us will be using it!

In the imp: The best description I can think of for this is cold. It smells cold. Cold metal for sure, but not just slightly-cool metal, we're talking metal that was left outside overnight in winter & is now FREEZING & covered in ice. The kind of metal that you know not to touch, because your finger (or tongue, if you're that silly) will just freeze to it & become stuck. I'm really impressed with how well they've captured this, because after a few seconds of sniffing it, I'm almost starting to believe that the contents of the imp are somehow drastically below room temperature. When trying to smell specific notes, I get the eucalyptus & mint strongest (& I think that's what's capturing the "cold" essence so well), with some neroli & a little violet in the background. Wet on skin: Still cold, though not quite as extreme as it was in the imp. My nose is currently trying to convince my brain that something cold is REALLY on my wrist & my brain is starting to believe it! "Electrifying, mechanized and chilly" indeed! Note-wise, the neroli has come forward quite a lot & is mixing with the mint & eucalyptus in a way that I'm not sure I like. I can't smell the violet. Dry on skin: The neroli has the lead here & everything else has just mixed into the background. It still feels cold, but not as amazingly icy & evocative as it did at first though. After a few hours: Gone. Completely. If I sniff really closely, I can almost smell a tiny bit of neroli, but, yeah, that's completely gone! Verdict: Not what I was expecting! I'm not a huge fan of the dry-on-my-skin scent - it's not bad, just... it's pretty much just neroli. It was such an exciting smell in the imp though, so I'll be saving this for when I get a scent locket!

In the imp: Lilac, a little wisteria & a hint of rose - but they're all darkened somehow. This isn't a light, happy floral scent, it's actually rather dark & creepy. Wet on skin: The lilac is the standout here. There's a little wisteria too, but neither of them are bright, daytime scents. It's like being under a lilac tree (which is near a wisteria vine) at night, after the dew has set in. Pretty & floral, but also a little spooky. There's a hint of rose, but not fresh rose - like you have some rose oil on your hands & it's mingling with the overall scent. Dry on skin: The flowers aren't fresh anymore, the smell is now more like a very old (antique, even) perfume. After a few hours: Very faded potpourri &/or old lady perfume. Disappointing. Verdict: I like it... but my skin doesn't. Maybe it'll work if I get a scent locket?

In the imp: Moonflower, moss, bone dust & a little stargazer lily. I'm not familiar with buttonweed or honey myrtle, but I'd guess that was them in the background. Very ethereal. I agree with the first poster that it evokes the images of an overgrown cemetery garden for me! Wet on skin: Weeds & flowers (moonflower is the only one I can pick out) with a hint of something haunted - ghosts, old bones & gravestones. Not quite an overgrown cemetery anymore, more like the overgrown garden of a haunted house that's next door to a cemetery. Dry on skin: It's gotten cold now, like it's late at night. The weedy-floral smell has faded slightly (but is still there), as though you've stepped out of the garden & closer to the cemetery. After a few hours: It's faded even more, but still there! It's a very ghostly, cold, weedy-floral scent. Still getting the cemetery & haunted garden at night feel from it. Verdict: Matches the poem perfectly! This is a very, very, VERY cool & mysterious scent! It's not an everyday perfume for me, but I love it & can definitely see myself wearing it!