isisonearth

I love jasmine and honeysuckle and here they are in all their unabashed glory, very evocative of walking through gardens on a humid evening. The lemon is the smell of warm uncut lemons and the spices are subtle but exotic.

In the imp it smells like an expensive nightclub, cigars, chocolate martinis and wine. When first applied to my skin the cocoa amps up along with the patchouli and a stomach churning wine note. As it dries the amber and sandalwood peek out. From a about a foot away it smells gorgeous. If I get too close to the spot I applied it really repels me. I'm not sure what to think of this one. Applied sparingly I guess it works. Much later on I start getting that cherry cola scent other people have been mentioning.

OMG...buttery...salty...nutty...caramely perfection! I'd say it smells like carmel corn but it actually smells better than the real thing. I can't belive I thought I might not want this.

The bottle smells strongly of cocoa with a slight floral note to it...something white. On my skin it is just a kalidoscope of notes...the warm fig and clove, the the spicy/sweet cardamon and peppery grains of paradise and an outstandingly green catnip that smells fresh from my garden. As it dries the herbal notes become more pronounced. I smell what might be sage. As it continues to mellow the chamomile appears as well. Eventually it returns to a soothing base of chocolate and sandalwood with just the slightest herbal edge...this is a real comfort scent to me.

I'm always a sucker for the ancient world scents. Beth makes them so rich and evocative and this is no exception. Rich clove and figs are drenched in honey sweetness. The ylang-ylang gives it a womanly vibe and the patchouli , which often misbehaves on me, adds just the right amount of sexy. I see a bottle in my future...rare for a patchouli scent.

In the imp: Orange and spices...a rich and golden citrus. On the skin: Still very heavy on the citrus but it has taken on a very woodsy character. Drydown: Very similar to LUSH Karma soap just slightly more floral. I think this one is headed for the hubby's imp box. He is a major consumer of Karma so I think he will enjoy it more than I will. I so strongly identify the scent with him that I can't see myself wearing it.

In the imp: strawberries, orange blossom and syrupy poppy On the skin: poppy, hibiscus and something that is a bit smoky...a bit musky...and a touch of juicy strawberry Drydown: soft carnation and orange flower Locket: I get mostly strawberry here. There is something just a little sour too. I feel like this has had better days on my skin. I have a memory of it being sharply spicy and sweet at the same time.

In the imp: tart lemon and heady sweet honeysuckle On the skin: The lemon is more subdued. Iris and poppy give it a fresh floral feel. The musk makes for a soft gentle base. Drydown: Gentle creamy floral, mostly poppy, iris and just a touch of honeysuckle. Much later: My beloved carnation finally makes an appearance but it is just a whisper.

In the bottle, a strong sweet floral. On my skin the sugar note combined with the spicy carnation and a softer almost powdery floral that is assume to be the phlox is just incredible, the very definition of swoon-worthy. As it dries it becomes more gentle. The carnation note stays around the longest. It amazes me how such a simple scent can be so spectacular. Carnation is a note I hadn't really experienced preBPAL but it is now my favorite floral.

In the bottle I get mainly patchuoli and musk, very smoky and rich. The scent is very deep...I think the fruits are lurking at the bottom. Wet it is a bit more incensy.. the vanilla tempers the patchouli enough for me to enjoy it. As it dries the pomegrante and wild plum start to be more noticeable. It never really becomes fruity though I had hoped that the fruits would be more noticable. It remains dark and mysterious...more sultry than I would normally wear.

Pink Moon 07 is my #1 favorite BPAL scent. The closest GC in feel to me is Maenad. If you haven't tried that one it is perfect for summer with the lovely strawberry and carnation.

In the bottle the chocolate base is not very evident. Instead I smell the juicy tropical fruits and massoia bark with a bit of honey sweetness grounded by the vanilla and ginger. When first applied the coconutty massoia is very prominent on me along with the ginger and clove. A bit of white chocolate comes through but at this stage the wonderful fruitiness is lost. In the drydown the coconut like scent is still there touched with orchid and vanilla. It is soft, pretty and tropical. Overall though I'm not a coconut fan and I miss the wonderful chocolaty quality in the other 13s I have. I wish the fruits I smelled in the bottle came out on my skin. I'm going to have to give this a try in my hair and locket to see if different notes will come out to play.

In the imp it is all candied violet to me. On my skin the tea rose is overwhelming at first and then the gorgeous violet peeks out. I think I like it but a bit too sweet for me at this stage. Not very long lasting on me. Within minutes all that is left is a pale whisper of violet. This scent reminds me of a fancy pink bon bon topped with a candied violet. Gorgeous, girly and gone in one bite. I wanted to want a bottle of my namesake but alas I don't have a strong attachment.

In the imp it reminds me of deep dark water. The scent is lavender deepened with resin and darkened with currant...then the ozone just brings it menacingly to life. On my skin the white musk comes rushing to the front which is unusual since my skin usually eats musk. A cloud of musky lavender is rising from my skin trailed by a wiff of ozone. I may have over applied this then throw is very strong. Over time a slight fruitiness from the currants comes out and the musk becomes more gentle. It still reminds me of still water...a fathomless dark underground lake. Very unisex. I could easily see this on on a guy.

In the imp I smell the rosewood and a sweet syrupy cherry made even sweeter by the rose. On my skin it smells exactly like red licorice to begin with. As the scent develops the musk and lavender begin to add a little edge to the sweetness. I never quite lose the cherry candy note though. A fun and silly scent. I don't wear it often but sometimes it is just the right day.

In the imp it has such a sharp scent it is almost eucalyptus like with a bit of lavender. On my skin I can sort the scents better and it seems more like sharp lavender, rosemary and lemon as described by others. As it dries the lemoniness becomes more herbal so I'm guessing verbena and I feel like there was the tiniest hint of something floral as I drifted off to sleep. I did then have very vivid dreams that I still remembered come morning. That hasn't happend alot lately since I don't get enough quality sleep.

In the imp it is a wonderful amber with a juicy red edge. On my skin the amber remains about the same but the pomegranate rounds out to its full glory. Sadly as it dries I only smell a slightly fruit sweetened amber. It reminds me of the sort of thing I would have picked pre-BPAL. I would have liked more complexity. I had hoped that some of the flowers from the poem would make appearances as unlisted notes but this is a very straightforward blend.

In the imp I get mostly a bright lily-of-the-valley scent. When applied those aquatic notes peer out among the blooms. It is a faint calm water though...a garden pool. The sweet heady gardenia shines among the lilies. It has a cool gentle feel. As it dries down the aquatic notes intensify and the warmth from the ginger develops. I almost feel like there is just a touch of ozone at the edge of my senses. It does really begin to remind me of the stillness before a storm. Overall I usually prefer something a bit stronger. The throw is very gentle on this one. Pretty though.

When I open the bottle and inhale it is a blast of sharp pepper that tapers off to sweet honeysuckle at the end of the breath. When I first apply the wonderful black pepper is so sharp it overwhelms the other notes. As much as I love it pepper doesn't last on my skin so it quickly moves on. In the dry down with the pepper nothing but a memory this is a wonderful resinous base with the ginger providing a less aggressive version of the sharpness. The honeysuckle seems impossibly fresh against this fiery back drop. It is a reminder that Spring has begun. Overall...I love this. Maybe because it is so fleeting pepper is one of my favorite notes as are ginger and dragon's blood. Here they combine into something so unusual...pure magic.

In the bottle it smells of sugar cookies with an odd side of grapefruit. On my skin the cookie smell is lessened but it is still there in the background. The vanillas begin to be rounded out with the jasmine giving them a still sweet but less foodie quality. In the dry down the sharpness of the grapefruit fades leaving mainly a gorgeous heady vanilla confection with floral undertones. As it should be there is something a little off kilter about this blend. It has a cheerful almost manic personality. A real day brightener. Edited to add...hello jasmine! An hour later...pow there it is.

In the imp all I smell is lavender. As I lay there and inhale and try to sift through the scents I can almost glimpse some other florals underneath. I find the slightly soapy tea rose and something that reminds me of the pink poppies I grow in my yard. Overall a very restful scent and one that diverts me from the trials and tribulations of my day.

Despite the many notes in the bottle it smells almost like a rose single note with a faint undertone of patchouli. Wet on my skin the honey comes out along with the lilac, balsam and woodruff. For a while it is almost herbal smelling. As it drys down the patchouli begins for waft out again and I begin to detect a touch of lemon. Slowly the roses begin to reappear but they are very tempered by the rest of the blend. This a a year old bottle and when it was new the rose was almost overwhelmingly sweet on me. It has developed into something much deeper and more complex. A change for the better.

In the bottle all razor sharp ozone and wet white florals. On my skin the wood and grass notes become more prominent giving it a more unusual feel. The ozone is there but deeper and more foreboding like the calm between storms. The floral is reduced to the barest whisper. The blossoms didn't survive the storm. After a while the ozone is mostly gone as are the florals. Ambery wet wood and grass is all that remains in the aftermath. Hauntingly beautiful.

In the bottle a delicious nutty mocha scent. On my skin it smells like high quality chocolate and spices. Almost exactly the scent of my local gourment chocolatier's shop. The creamy sandalwood is there too but I don't get any floral at all. The more it dries down the more of a caramely scent I start to get. In my locket the caramel is very pronounced. Totally dark chocolate covered caramels with a hint of the nuttiness I can smell in the bottle. I bet this will age beautifully. It might have surpassed April 07 as my favorite 13.

I had no idea what the notes in Selkie would smell like but I had to get it for the name alone plus sometimes a little adventure is nice. In the bottle it smells like salt, oranges and a tiny wiff of a lavendery flower. On my skin the orange scent goes away and is replaces with something more green and watery but still with that sharp salt note and a little honey sweetness. I love this in warm weather. It makes me think cool damp thoughts. After it dries down awhile the oranges are back but the floral is gone. Just salt and citrus left.