lizabelle

Something in this is not agreeing with my stomach, and I may have to scrub it off. So far I seem to like dragon's blood as a note, but the milk/vanilla combo is surprisingly cold and sweet. I'm not actually a fan of milk outside of perfume, and this is an incredibly realistic milk. With the cold, almost metallic sweetness on top and the huge sillage it has on me, this one is not a winner. Hopefully one of the other dragons will be more to my taste.

This starts off as a kind of spicy, ambery honey scent on me and then slowly transforms to be almost floral. Despite having no floral notes listed, to me it smells like getting up close to a white flower (I smell lily, gardenia, or maybe jasmine) and getting all the pollen/green stuff too. Not as overtly sexual or as loud as I expected, but decadent and seductive. It would definitely make me want to get closer to whoever's wearing it! I'm really loving it. ETA: I took a nap and when I woke up this had turned to pure, golden honey. From previous experience I thought I didn't like BPAL's honey, but it seems like that's only certain scents. It does lean slightly animalic, but it's very true-to-life. I'd love to smell this aged.

In the imp: Woody and spicy. There's a LOT of nutmeg On skin, wet: Still very spicy, with the tea starting to emerge and calm everything down On skin, dry: Oh my goodness, it's chai tea with milk and honey. I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this blend, but it turned out to be quite warm and sweet. The spices are surprisingly mellow and everything blends together into a cohesive whole beautifully. I must get a full bottle of this; it could easily become an everyday scent for me.

In the imp: Marzipan, so intense it smells like cherries On skin, wet: Also marzipan, with some milk/honey sweet mellowness coming in. Very rich and warm, like some kind of amazing nut/honey dessert. Sadly this stage lasts about one minute on me. On skin, dry: Where did that gorgeous warm sweetness go?! It's faded down to a barely-there skin scent, reminiscent of honey-scented soap. It's still sort of there if I really smush my nose into my arm, but most of that mouth-watering richness is gone. I'm so disappointed--if it had stayed in that second stage on my skin this could have easily broken my top five.

Ahh, this is right in my gourmand comfort zone. While Alice was too sweet for me, this is more subdued and tempered by fruit. It really does smell like some kind of dense cake with dried fruit baked in, possibly with some booze as well. To me this is what the cake smells like after it's cooled, not as desperately tempting as when it's warm but still delicious. I have several perfumes that are similar in character so I'll have to try it a few more times to see if I want a full bottle, but this is a great blend.

I have had absinthe all of once, and a very small sip at that, so I'm not sure I can compare this accurately to the real thing. However, this is lovely. Sharp, herbal, with some sweetness coming in as it develops (much like the traditional sugar cube dissolving). There is a lot of anise, but several of my favorite scents are anise-based and I don't mind at all. The cardamom in this is very green, which is possibly why others haven't been smelling it. The lemon (which to me is mostly rind) sneaks in at the tail end and is almost more of a feeling than a smell, if that makes sense. This is another scent that strikes me as fizzy, which BPAL seems to do wonderfully. This is very well-blended and I would love to try it in the summer as a hot-weather perfume. Very likely a full bottle for me!

This is even sweeter than I expected, to the point that I'm on the fence about it. I do love the milk note in here, and the roses/carnations blend in nicely, but it may be the honey I don't like. It has an aftertaste (afterscent?) that's just a little too sweet. It reminds me a bit of a baby doll. In the end it's probably not my kind of scent, at least unless layered with some spices or woods.

Oh yikes, I think I found another flower my skin likes to amp big time. I don't think I put too much on, but I can smell my arm from three feet away! It's also making me sneeze. While I love cherry blossom on others, on me it's turning into a cheap air freshener with a weird sharp citrus sprayed over the top. There's no tea here that I can smell. In the imp it's nice, at least, but it's destined for the swap pile.

Despite how much I hate the taste of grapefruits, I love the smell of grapefruits. There is something so lovely and zingy about them, matched only by bergamot, for me. This is the lightest, fizziest, happiest grapefruit I have ever smelled. The ginger is a great combination with it; I never would have thought of it, but the extra kick of spice from the ginger compliments the acidity of the citrus so well. There's definitely some sweetness in this too, which is probably the apple blossom. The tea note is very subtle but also very smooth, and blends everything together well. Somehow I don't yet own a full size of anything with grapefruit in it, so this is probably in my future.

In the bottle: Kind of scary, although I'm slowly learning not to be scared away by the first sniff. Sharp and green and a bit piney. On skin, wet: Ooh, vanilla. I've been addicted to vanilla in all forms since I was born, pretty much, so this is right up my alley. On skin, dry: It's a Snickerdoodle cookie!! Seriously, I'm actually getting confused thinking there's something delicious nearby when it's only my arm. Somehow even the butter and brown sugar are there. It's so rich and warm and I'm in love. Overall: What a nice dragon this turned out to be! Let the poor thing have his cookies.

In the bottle: Bright, spicy, herbal, with a touch of flowers. I think I'm mostly getting the lemon balm and mugwort, which is not at all a bad combo. On skin, wet: The jasmine is starting to amp, unsurprisingly. Still a bit lemony/spicy, but calming down into a cool herbal floral. On skin, dry: This is so atmospheric. It makes me think of walking barefoot in a field of flowers under the moon, possibly with some fireflies around. Maybe because of the cucumber or mixing with the jasmine, the violets come across more like sweet pea--this is a lovely cool floral, sort of a lavender color in my mind. It has a gentle throw, maybe about six inches, and it's the first jasmine scent I've ever tried (and I have tried MANY) that I would consider wearing on a summer night. May actually try it when the time comes. Overall: This is so beautiful I'm actually kind of emotional over it. I rarely feel connected to my sign but this is pretty darn close to what might happen if I asked someone to make a perfume for me. It's a very breezy kind of floral despite being based around jasmine, and kind of smells like moonlight. I'm guarding this one jealously.

This is a gem. Powdery, but still warm; resiny, but not overpowering. The strongest note I detect is citrus, probably lemon as others have mentioned. I do smell honey, but it's like honey with the sweetness removed. It doesn't take over like in some honey perfumes and it's not overly sweet. There's definitely some flowers and maybe some herbs in there, but they blend in to support the lemon and resins instead of taking over. I'd believe the chamomile, because I get the same feeling from it as I do from chamomile tea. Restful but still cheery. Interestingly it seems like it should have a huge presence, but the throw is actually quite small. When I get up close to my wrist it's powerful, though. I usually stay away from skin scents (if I paid for it, I don't want to be the only one who can smell it!) but this feels personal in a nice way. Definitely a golden/orange colored scent. Probably full bottle worthy for me.

Wow! This is what I expected Urd to smell like; on me this is all incense. I'm guessing my skin is amping the woods/spices/resins and drowning out everything else. In the bottle: Very citrusy, with an almost coppery tang. Not at all what it's like on my skin. On skin, wet: Bears a striking resemblance to a well-seasoned steak fresh off the grill. ...I'm honestly not sure anymore if there's something wrong with my nose, but that's exactly what it smells like to me. On skin, dry: INCENSE. Like walking into a heavily-incensed shop and wandering around. I can make out the lime and clove if I remind myself they're there, but the vanilla and almond are nowhere to be found. This scent is warm and rich, and while I can't see myself wearing it I also can't stop smelling it. Very well-blended.

In the imp: Margaritas! Smells like lime and salt with a touch of sweet. On skin, wet: A blast of cologne-y citrus, although much fresher than the usual and more tolerable. Definitely leans masculine but not so much that I want to scrub it off. Drying: The most glorious citrusy-salty smell ever. I tend to shy away from aquatics but salt is a great perfume note. Sadly this only lasts about ten minutes. On skin, dry: Soapy, with some salt still lingering. I understand the comparison to dryer sheets. I do still find this phase pleasant, but I'm mourning the loss of that beautiful salty in-between stage. I can never have enough salt perfumes.

This is shockingly grapey. My first impression is of very dark red wine that's been chilled too long and needs to warm back up before it's drinkable. From the notes I thought this would be a warmer scent, but it's quite cool on my skin, although it is blended well. After reading some reviews while sniffing I do smell the incense, and the patchouli--they sort of blend into a background earthiness, for me. I get no cereus at all, which is sad because I've loved it in other scents. Strikes me as a dark, midnight purple scent, reminiscent of velvet or some other rich fabric that's absorbed some perfume over time.

My skin is definitely amping something up here, and I think it's the myrrh or one of the resins. This should be divine on me (love lilacs, love honey, love tea), but it's dark and earthy with maybe a touch of creamy lilac to soften it. This is a sweet scent, but sweet in an earthy way. Not to my taste, but it would be great for someone who likes resins/earthy scents.

Not sure my skin likes this one; might be the gardenia. It smells exactly like one of the hard candies of mysterious origin some people give out around Halloween. Sort of fruit punch-y. I guess I could see it as candied violets...however, there are no other notes on my skin. If I really smush my nose into my arm there's some powderiness. In the imp it's sort of dark and green and has a lot of orris/violet present. I'm sad I'm not getting the soft floral aspect on my skin.

Normally I can't stand "men's cologne" scents (there's nothing like screechy synthetic citrus to cause a headache), but this actually isn't bad. It's not something I can see myself wearing, but I can appreciate it and would love to smell it on someone else. It starts off with the usual men's cologne citrus note, except it's not fakey or overpowering. I can deal with it until it tones down, at which point it's a slightly fizzy, citrusy herbal concoction. It reminds me of a gin drink I had once with lots of herbs muddled into it. The moss is also quite strong, although that's probably my skin's fault, and the patchouli is present but earthier and drier than I'm used to. The tonka is...possibly there, but pretty far in the background. I get no jasmine, unfortunately, and the overall impression of the scent is dry, cool, and green.

This may be the scent that truly hooked me on BPAL. It is bright, warm yellow bottled, like sunshine on a warm, humid day. The plumeria is by far the star, with a punch of citrus and some smoke in the background. I'm not sure what "jungle blooms" are in here otherwise, but there's definitely something there rounding it out. This is a well-blended perfume and the notes work very well together. It's pretty linear but warms beautifully on my skin and gets so creamy. I can't stop smelling it when it's on--it just makes me happy. Definitely full-bottle worthy!

Truly a spicy lily! I couldn't stop smelling myself all night, nor could my mother (lilies are her favorite). Something about this is reminiscent of cloves, and maybe even cinnamon sticks, stuck into an orange or tangerine. The lily itself is quite green and the actual floral scent is more subtle. I agree with the descriptions of a green/gold scent fading into more of a gold/red scent as it dries down. It lasted quite a while on me (at least 8 hours, I think) and left a nice trail as I wandered in and out of rooms. I can easily see it as a "party" scent.

The progression of this one is odd on me, and after seeing that it has orange blossom in it, I think I get why. My skin tends to amp it to an absurd degree, sometimes to the point of it being sickening. It starts out loud and bright with a huge amount of orange and white florals--mostly the orange blossom and a tiny touch of jasmine. The rose and jasmine (both of which my skin usually loves) are swallowed by an entire orange tree. It stays this way for several hours, and then dries down to an absolutely perfect dupe of black tea with lemon squeezed into it. I get no myrrh at all in this, and no rose, although as a tea-lover I almost wish I could bottle that drydown for everyday wear... While I do actually like the way it smells on me, I'm pretty sure it's not how it was meant to be at all! I would love to smell this on someone else sometime, just to experience some of what others are describing.

This scent is absolutely fascinating. I thought I would hate it from the notes and ended up not. It's still not something I would wear, probably, but I'd love to smell it on someone else! It starts off with straight-up motor oil right out of the bottle, then a blast of leather, then a metallic note. That start is overwhelming but once it calms down it conjures up an image of some kind of steampunk workshop. The oil moves into the background and compliments the metal (I'd compare it to steel/iron, slightly warmed by fire or movement). As a sidenote, I am blown away by how real the metal smells in this; I thought I hated metallic notes, but that's probably because they're usually pretty fakey. The leather isn't overpowering, and is dry and a little powdery. The frankincense shows up as a background spicy note that I misidentified as pine at first. The anise completely disappeared on me, which is bizarre because I normally amp it by a lot, but the mix is very well-balanced. Even while realizing I could never see myself getting a full bottle, I couldn't stop smelling it!

So I bought this completely on a whim while picking up two other LEs (Palmyra and Nasty Woman). Normally I'm not a huge incense/smoke fan, but I think this might be turning me into one. It pretty much immediately became my favorite scent--I don't think I wore much of anything else through the entire month of November. In the bottle: Sticky marshmallows with unlit firewood in the background. This scent really conjures up an image, and that image is autumn. On skin, wet: Wood becomes more prominent as it dries, and smoke begins to appear. As the scent evolves it truly feels like the wood is drying out and then being lit! On skin, dry: A smoky bonfire on a chilly night, with a soft sugary sweetness over the top. The drydown actually reminds me more of cotton candy, possibly because of the soft powderiness of the musk. This stage pretty much lasts forever on me, which is great because it's my favorite part. One of the most true-to-life (and yet not overpowering) smoke notes I've ever smelled.

This perfume is just awesome. I love the concept, the name, and the notes, and basically had to buy it the moment I knew it existed. It's quite linear on me from bottle to dry-down, but that's okay because I love the way it smells in the bottle. It's without a doubt the richest, dirtiest fig I've ever had the pleasure of putting on my skin--nearly rotting, but more like the way fruit is sweeter and more intense just before it goes bad than anything truly off-putting. The patchouli and oud are prominent, not as individual notes but as a dark earthiness in the base. The vanilla is also strong, but not nearly as sweet as I expected; definitely closer to a vanilla bean. Overall this is darker, juicier, and less sweet than I imagined. This nasty woman goes all day and commands every room she enters!

This is a gorgeous sandalwood scent. A while back I had a wood fan scented with sandalwood and this is very close to what I remember. In the bottle: Honestly kind of scary. Heavy, sticky resins with maybe a touch of cinnamon, almost no wood. The leather is present as a sharp, animalic scent. On skin, wet: Much calmer already, with the wood taking center stage (cinnamon is the quiet support on the sidelines). The resins are still present but not overpowering. The leather is there when wet, like a well-worn pair of gloves, but sadly fades as it dries. On skin, dry: Sandalwood! So much sandalwood. The other notes are much harder to pick out by now but they do add a richness and spice. This is a very warm, dry scent, like being in a room full of chopped wood. It sticks very close to the skin; on first application it lasted about an hour, but the second application lasted all day long. No idea why, but then I don't mind reapplying. Apparently I've missed my chance to get a backup bottle, which is a shame. This is a beautiful everyday kind of scent for those who love woods, resins, or spices.