petrichorandleather

Hello everyone! So I'm relatively new to BPAL...I have about 20 imps and 3 full sized bottles of oils. A trend I've noticed when I'm trying bpal is that scents with a bouquet of notes turn very bad on me, the individual notes are mostly unintelligible and become very overpowering, usually resembling old fashioned strong perfume on my skin. However, bpals that have worked for me include Spanish Moss SN, French Tobacco SN, Shanghai, 51, Blueberry Picking and Peach I (2013). Now, I don't know if this is because my nose is untrained or just that I like simple, uncomplicated scents, but I'm hoping that based on the above preferences that you lovely bpalistas can guide me in the direction of winners! TIA!

Neutral is white cotton sheets hanging on the line to dry on a clear, dreamy summer day. You're on a lawn where you are surrounded by huge white lilies and tuberose. There is no green from the lawn, just heady, orgasmic full white florals and cotton. It's truly beautiful.

This is a favorite immediately. I get cloves...without the nose bite..a soft roundness to them as if they were steeped in simmering cream. Dust and tobacco lend themselves to lighten it up a little and dry it all out. It's the most glorious thing I think I've ever smelled. 10/10. *goes to hoard VB*

Clean, gentle coconut and Shea butter. This is a really linear scent (and I love that about it). No unpleasant twists and turns, no death stages. This is so nice for summer. I really do love it and see this being in heavy rotation this summer once I am able to snag a bottle. P.S. The throw is REALLY low. Definitely a skin scent. It might blossom in the summer heat though, which is a very appealing thought.

wet: To me this is fancy children's shampoo, honey and a hint of earthiness...like mushrooms smudged with earth. dry: Thankfully the earthiness goes away. I love this, I really do. It's totally outside of my normal scope of scent love but it's addictive and it smells just like a warm clean baby nestled up on your chest. I smell Johnson's baby wash and the sweetest honey with a breath of florals blown over the top. later: It's smelling the same as when dry, except for I smell the waxiness of chapstick now? I don't know what that's about. Still really like it though. It's so sweet and strong it's almost cloying though. I've decided I wouldn't wear this enough to warrant a bottle purchase, but I'd be open to getting another decant.

I'm a 21 year old, aennagram 8w7, Scorpio, ISFP. I was sorted into house Slytherin. I'm interested in Metaphysical stuff, Botany, nature. I love to explore. I get bored easily and don't fancy routine. My style is mostly black, deep forest green, coral....skinny jeans, leather leggings, industrial look with a little bit of 90's Patagonia thrown in haha. I love wearing suede booties and high heels. Black Lace for everyday, Tweedledee for exceptionally cheerful moods and Velvet Bandito for comfort.

wet: ...wet paint????? O.o dry: lotus always misbehaves on me and it's BS. This smells like nail varnish remover and wet paint. Huge throw, screeching at me. I'm getting a little of an artificial, cloying grapey scent from it too. NOPE. Not for me at all.

Let me first just say that this didn't work out for me and I couldn't be happier that I am not doomed to be an AL lover wistfully clutching at their last drops in their decants and bottles. To me this went on really astringent...no flowers...no linen note (which is usually lovely on me). it's so disappointing. I just smell like really faint, worn off bug spray. I'm missing the magic.

On me this smells exactly like the slightly tart, creamy, flaky coconut batter they use on coconut shrimp. It couldn't be more true to that scent profile. I like it.

Frozen lemon heads rolled in sugar crystals. This is the scent of joy and happiness. I really like it.

I smell no honey...I smell something very fresh and I'm most certainly getting heaps of fresh chamomile blossoms. To me it seems to almost go mildly aquatic. I like it but to me it translates into something very unlike its description. I have a 1/3 bottle and that will be enough for me. I really just love the character and am happy to have her namesake's perfume.

I love this one. The mint is really just a suggestion, this is mostly ultra buttery, sinful cookies rolled in sticky red jam and sugar dust. Cloying in the bottle, but sinfully delicious on the skin.

A languid and loathsome blend of dead wildflowers and smoky, sun-baked grass under a hot, humid blanket of summer gloom. This one's really, really nice. Beautiful. At first, in the bottle I smelled a very alcoholic note and worried. It smelled like straight rubbing alcohol with something sickening sweet floral underneath. But when it touches skin it almost immediately loses that astringency and becomes warm and languid. It's golden, dead grass...dare I say it, golden, slightly damp bales of hay baking in the summer sun after the rain. Golden bales of hay surrounded by wildflowers wilting in the merciless heat. There's something sweeter too...I almost smell a hint of coconut milkiness. It's really lovely. I love this one.

Got an imp of this from a generous frimper. Unfortunately, it's not good on me. I detect no blackcurrant, and true to form, inky musk (or inky anything) screams on me and completely drowns everything else out. I'm getting the faintest hint of rose mixing with the ink, but the inky musk is giving me a headache. No tonka bean to be found whatsoever in any stage of wear.

In the imp: Clean cotton, incense, vanilla. Incredible. Wet, on skin: Blossomy fresh damp cotton and incense. Cognac coming forth in perfect harmony. Later: I'm amping the cognacand tobacco in the most sexy and flattering way. I am in love with this one. Instant favorite. I need a whole bottle of this ASAP.

Wet: Resin and tobacco. Two of my favorites. It reminds me of French Tobacco SN, but without the slightly vanillic undertone. There's something in here that goes CEDAR on me and is drowning out this oil's potential, which makes me really sad. Dry: nothing but a very sharp cedar scent. Sillage: pretty close to skin I'll be swapping this. I had very high hopes.

Dark. Earthy. Somehow sticky in a dark, resinous kind of way. A strange, unsettling sweetness underneath. It's not a winner for me, but still a very interesting one to test. It's evocative and fun to sniff but I'd never wear it.

This is lovely. I didn't like it at all at first. I sniffed my knee (all the other skin's bpal covered! ) and was like woah this is tangy and boozy. It didn't smell like soft sweet apricot...it's super tangy...more dried apricot than sweet juicy fresh apricot and the alcohol was really taking over. But...now that it's dried down and behaved a bit it's still tangy but not unbearable and really, kind of a good time. It makes me smile and I could see wearing this out for a night out with friends. I like it, not enough for a 5mL, but I'll definitely use my imp.

Origin: an imp acquired through swaps. in the bottle: smells like bug spray, camphor. Crazy strong, crazy unpleasant if I'm being honest. wet on my skin: bitter, tangy, black herbs... yes, all of these apply. It has a very sharp and pungent scent profile. I can't pick out any individual notes but there's definitely smoke and some sort of bitter herbs. dry: this is such an intriguing yet unpleasant scent! lol All of a sudden it's straight cedar. POTENT cedar. I think this is much more suited to a man than myself. I can't say that I like this much at all, and yet I can't stop sniffing myself! Most curious. a few minutes later: now I'm getting some over-ripened fruit pulling through the cedar. The cedar is still very dominant. This stage isn't so bad, but I still dislike it.

Origin: Straight from the lab: BLOOD ORANGE. Bright and juicy. Wet, on skin: Still just the juiciest, brightest blood orange ever. I am INSANELY in love with blood orange, too. Dry: It just keeps getting juicier. I love this so much I want to sing its praises from the rooftops. I am SO happy this is GC. This is a bottle to hoard and hoard and hoard... I hope they never ever discontinue this one. Conclusion: This is the first BPAL I've been really OBSESSED with. This could be a signature scent, no joke.

in the bottle: Almond syrup. wet, on skin: D: cherry cough syrup?! OH no, don't do this... dry, on skin: cherry almond with baby powder. It's bizarre on me. later: I'm just amping the cherry quality to this almond so much. It's screeching, and hasn't morphed much at all. conclusion: Think I'm going to let this one sit awhile, as it IS straight from the lab. Ho hum.

In the bottle: Just coconut, I don't detect anything else. wet, on skin: Wow, the coconut really bloomed immediately, with saffron waltzing along with it. So well blended. dry, on skin: Coconut is sweeter (honey-laced) while the saffron gives it this really rich and interesting edge. later: Coconut is dryer, think powdered coconut or coconut flakes, baked coconut, the saffron in this is so well behaved an amazing. I could wear this for the rest of my life, HUGE win and awesome blind buy for me.

in the bottle: wow...wasn't sure about this one. The gray amber is definitely most prominent in the bottle. wet, on skin: No good. With my skin chemistry it smells like women's deodorant worn down by an intense workout. (B.O.) dry, on skin: mellowing out and softening. the sugared lemon peel is coming forward and making this much more bearable. LATER-----I was swapping this off, had just made the deal when I sniffed again and wanted to cry. It's truly incredible after about 45 mins-an hour. Soft and round a glowy just like a moon. It's got a softened crystalline lemon with frankincense resting atop it...the gray amber has really receded. It's so beautiful and soft and poignant. I really wish I hadn't traded it off and probably have to buy another bottle. Damn!

Incense and vanilla. I smell something which also translates as ink on my skin. Usually ink is a death note for me and it verges on that but behaves enough not to be a major issue. I like it but don't love it. Imps are enough for me. Later: It got to be too much and gave me a headache. Guess I over-applied.

(2015 imp) in the bottle- I'm just getting an interesting cold mint note... a very sweet mint. on skin- sweet mint with a hint of vanilla. The vanilla reminds me of the sticks that come in fun dip. Artificial and borderline too sweet. It doesn't morph at all..the vanilla just becomes more dominant. Still artificial vanilla and sweet mint. It's interesting but I don't see myself reaching for it much. The imp is enough.