renfair

I got this scent as a frimp from the Lab. I'm glad they threw it my way, because the notes are exactly something I'd like! First Sniff Impression: Oooh, a bit like ginger ale! Bubbly! Wet in Vial: This is seriously mind-blowing. HOW do they make a perfume that actually bubbles in your nose like a fizzy drink? It's amazing! It's still a bit more like a good ginger ale than champagne, but it's probably the strawberry giving it that note. Drying Down on Skin: I'm really in love with this scent already. I always really appreciate the ones that just completely take me by surprise. It's so exciting! The strawberry in this is very dry, like the champagne with a little shot of blush and a strawberry garnish is at a Ren Faire. It's like I can just picture one of those champagne glass towers they do then pour the champagne down so they all fill each other, like that but in the Victorian period or something. It's probably cause there's almost this weird very faint tea rose-type smell as well, that's so incredibly nice. Dry on Skin: I'm forced to admit this did stay pretty much a solid ginger ale scent, but it didn't bother me at all. It's close enough to champagne to give me a happy, partying feeling wearing it. Sometimes it's really nice to have a scent that stays the same from wet in vial through completely dry, so you know what you're getting into that day! Conclusion: I might make more notes here once I try two other champagne scents that are on their way to me, but I have to say I'm super impressed with the champagne note here, even though it leaned slightly ginger ale. I mean, I have no idea how they even make *either* of those scents, so I'm not going to complain it isn't 100% perfect! I thought this was an awesome scent.

Like some other imps I've been reviewing, I ended up with two frimps of Imperious Tiger-Lily (Harry Potter nerd over here trying so hard to not type Imperius, lol. Kind of like how I always type Lucious instead of Lucius. But anyhoo ...) Like some of the others, probably not one I would've bought myself, but I was very interested to try it once I had it. Florals can be tricky on me, so it's always worth a shot to see what works and what doesn't. First Sniff Impression: Floral, but in a pinched, sour kind of way. Wet in Vial: I can smell the tiger-lily, and I think the ginger and maybe neroli. Something is making the scent almost sour. It's weird. Drying Down on Skin: This is much lighter on skin. The tiger-lily and neroli seem fairly well blended, giving a sort of yellow-white floral smell. I can't tell any ginger or frankincense, but those seem like they might come out later. The frankincense might be helping the flowers to be less cloying. Maybe it's because of the lilies, but I feel like this is a very early spring, "Easter" scent. It's bright, but still somewhat heavy, not very light. Dry on Skin: Scent is pretty much just straight floral for me dry. I wish I got more of the frankincense. As it stands, it's kind of boring. I'm not a big fan of just plain spring flowers. After a couple hours it sweetened a bit more and seemed like maybe the ginger was peeking out. Conclusion: This was a good, unoffensive floral if you like bright, yellow-white lily scents. I think it was a little too heavy on the floral perfume for me. Some of the spice coming out would have helped a lot. I don't think I'll hang on to this scent.

I got Gomorrah as two frimps from two different sellers. I'm glad I ended up with two, because it ended up being an interesting exercise in comparing how scents age, or have other factors change them. First Sniff Impression: Dark, rich, fruity incense. Wet in Vial: I don't get much of any individual fruit, and the black herbs just smell like a heavy incense. Drying Down on Skin: Right off this reminds me of one of the Last Unicorn scents (I think The Witch Cursed Castle). It's actually way heavier and perfumier than I thought it would be. I was expecting more fruit. Out of curiosity, I tried a second imp of Gomorrah I have. It's still an incense smell, but the fruit was more apparent in the vial and the incense smelled less "burnt." But now drying down they're kind of meeting in the middle. --Gomorrah "1" is still very bitter incense. Gomorrah "2" has a little more fruit to it, more balanced. Dry on Skin: Dry, Gomorrah 1 has lightened a tad, but it's still pretty heavy on "gritty" incense. Gomorrah 2 is definitely sweeter with more apparent dark fruit notes. They're like "after" and "before" representations of the city itself, or something. A few hours later, G1 was still all spice, but it had finally chilled out to be a nice, fragrant spice. G2 is warm, lightly spiced fruit, though both applications are very faint now. Conclusion: So not sure what to make of this since both imps were fairly different. The label on G1 looked slightly older, so maybe it was more aged, and it was also less full than G2. When I first put them on I was like, "No way am I keeping this ..." but now I'm kind of curious to mix them together in an empty vial and see how it settles.

I got a couple frimps of this, which was cool cause I like getting frimps I normally wouldn't purchase myself. I tend to shy away from the scents that don't have specific notes. I admit I read some of the reviews to get a basic idea of it before testing it, and this is what I came up with myself: First Sniff Impression: Bubblegum, like the kind at the center of Blow Pops, not the fake, amoxicillin kind, fortunately. Wet in Vial: The bubblegum is the most prominent note. There also might be something there like a light cherry, also bringing to mind a Blow Pop lollipop. Drying Down on Skin: It gets a little "faker" with the bubblegum smell when applied, but now I'm getting a hint of the cotton candy-like smell reviews on the forums have picked out. I also get a stronger, sweet, candy cherry, like those heart-shaped lollipops you see around Valentines Day. It's probably the only kind of cherry that wouldn't bother me. I didn't think I'd like this from the bubblegum note, but it's definitely sweeter and fruitier on. Very much like candy. Dry on Skin: Fully dry the bubblegum is mostly gone, which is great for me cause I'm really not a bubblegum fan. What's left is a sweet, fruity candy smell that's not overpowering. It would be a fun one for summer, I think. It didn't have much strength to it, though. After about five hours it was almost all gone except for a tiny bit of sweetness left. Conclusion: I didn't know if I'd like this, especially after I smelled it in the vial, but I think I'll keep it. It seems like a good, much cheaper and more easily found alternative to something like Velvet Unicorn.

I really wanted to try this one, especially when I was a little disappointed with another "Japanese" GC scent, Kyoto, so I added an imp of it onto another order I did from a forum member. First Sniff Impression: Fresh, fruity, and a bit floral Wet in Vial: I can definitely smell the fruits, though never having smelled any of them separately, I can't pick any single one out. I can also get the cherry blossom. Drying Down on Skin: The three fruits blend together nicely for a bright, juicy citrus. The cherry blossom softens it a little, and I'm not able to get any black tea yet. The cherry blossom almost gives it a bit of a body wash smell, but I'm going to blame Bath and Body Works for that since that's one of my only experiences with a cherry blossom fragrance (ugh, please don't hold it against me. I was like ten years younger then!) Dry on Skin: This had a nice, even fruity-floral smell while it lasted. Didn't have much lasting strength, though. Was pretty much all gone in about five hours. Conclusion: This was a very pleasant scent. A little more approachable than some BPAL combinations. I definitely preferred this as a "Japanese" scent to Kyoto. I'll be keeping this imp around for a while!

I got a couple of frimps of this, which was great cause I don't think it's one that I would've sought out on my own. First Sniff Impression: It smells like *something* but I can't figure out what. I smells "green," but not in a woodsy way, just like the actual color. Though I'm probably being influenced by the color of the oil. Wet in Vial: It has a definite kind of floral fruitiness wet. I can't pick out anything in particular, but maybe the honeydew? Drying Down on Skin: This is such a weird scent, in that it doesn't smell "BPAL" to me. It's almost something that would be in Victoria's Secret. It's probably the melon and mandarin mixed with the florals and musk. It's not a bad smell, but somehow more "commercial" than I was expecting. I actually like it, even though nothing about it makes me think of Area 51 (unless the aliens have some really nice perfume on). Dry on Skin: This seemed to stay fairly consistent throughout wear. It was very fruity, floral, and bright, but not in a sicky sweet way. It was fresh enough that I'd love to wear it in summertime! Conclusion: I'm glad I got this as a frimp because I really enjoyed it! Probably not enough to spring for a full bottle, but I'm definitely hanging on to the two imps I have. I really liked it!

I got this scent as part of the Unicorn Horn III pack about three years ago, as my first purchase from BPAL!, so this more recent review is on a three-year-old imp. First Sniff Impression: Unfortunately I don't remember my first impression of this well. I think it was just sort of "generic men's cologne" to me. Wet in Vial: I actually like this one in the bottle more than Schmendrick, though the juniper berry pretty much overpowers everything else. Might be age. Drying Down on Skin: Drying down I can see why a lot of people don't like this one. The juniper and basil give it a distinct medicinal smell, though it doesn't bother me very much. There's a very faint sweetness, but I can't really pick it out. Dry on Skin: Sharp and slightly medicinal. I read someone compared it to the smell of latex gloves, which I can understand though don't personally agree with, at least on me. It brings back a really vague memory of childhood, of the cottage on a pond my grandparents used to live in. Like maybe the furniture or something. I wish I could smell the vanilla or citrus. It might've been there when it was new. Conclusion: Not one I'd want my husband wearing. Maybe my nose was overwhelmed by the three other colognes I had on, but a couple hours later this one seems to be mostly gone. It was a little too sharp and bitter for me.

I got this scent as part of the Unicorn Horn III pack about three years ago, as my first purchase from BPAL!, so this more recent review is on a three-year-old imp. First Sniff Impression: I remember wondering how in the world they managed to capture the actual scent of wet stone. Very complex, incense-y. It made me think of a cursed castle on the sea, being struck by lightning. Wet in Vial: This one is very difficult to pick anything in particular out of the vial, besides it's just sort of "weird," but in a good way, like the smell of electric magic. The magic feeling is probably brought about by the opoponax and olibanum. It still smells the best to me directly in the vial of the four more "cologne" scents of the third Last Unicorn imp pack. Drying Down on Skin: I don't get redwood at all, but I've always liked the weird hint of wet stone. And the predominate smell is probably the opoponax or olibanum, though I can't tell which one it is. In a way it almost smells bug spray-ish, but not in a bad way. It's a very distinct scent that's very difficult to describe (I know, super helpful). Dry on Skin: Seemed to peak with almost too-much "bug spray" smell at about an hour, then mellowed back out and has a decent life to it. Conclusion: Still one of my favorite "atmospheric" perfumes of the Last Unicorn lot. Maybe the right type of guy could wear it, but I only like to sniff it for ambience. Though it's so weird I'd love to try it on my husband and see if it's any different.

I got this scent as part of the Unicorn Horn III pack about three years ago, as my first purchase from BPAL!, so this more recent review is on a three-year-old imp. First Sniff Impression: Probably the most fitting Last Unicorn scent of the ones I got with the III pack. It's very dry, very unforgiving, rather unpleasant, like the character. Wet in Vial: Age might've mellowed this one out a little. I don't dislike it as much as I remember when I first got it. I can mainly pick out the balsam, though it does smell old and ashy, like dead, dry wood in a forest. I don't think I've ever actually put this one on my skin before now. Drying Down on Skin: This actually dries down really nicely, which I was completely not expecting. The cedar comes out more clearly, making it smell more like an old attic than a dusty forest with the balsam, though the balsam still holds its own. It brings to mind the old, black, twisted pine trees at the far end of my forest I used to explore growing up. Dry on Skin: Couple hours later it sweetened up and became a little less woodsy, a little more spicy. Conclusion: Very surprised how much I liked this one on skin. It's still dry and woodsy, but in a older, regal sort of way. Definitely fitting for an old, worn out, selfish king. Hints of the cedar bring to mind maybe what Haggard would've been like when he was much younger, before he started driving unicorns into the sea. But then everything is covered with dust and ashes. Probably not one for my husband, but would work on a certain type of grampa.

I got this scent as part of the Unicorn Horn III pack about three years ago, as my first purchase from BPAL!, so this more recent review is on a three-year-old imp. First Sniff Impression: Very pleasant, sweet floral and fruity. I thought this would be a good scent for summer, and have since worn it most summers. Wet in Vial: This one has always been pretty much straight watermelon and sweet pea for me, almost like a Bath and Bodyworks scent, but less "chemical" smelling. There's a bit of something woodsy that keeps it from being too sweet and making me sick. Drying Down on Skin: Drying down, it might be the lilac musk, but it smells creamier, like a watermelon ice cream float. Dry on Skin: A little bit of the woodsiness is still present, making the scent mellow and more subtle after time. It has a decent strength to it as far as how long it lasts.. Conclusion: This is one of my favorites from The Last Unicorn, since it's one I feel I can actually use as a perfume and not just a "scent experience" like some of the others. It's not overly sweet and very fresh. Great for hot summer days when you don't want a heavy, musky scent.

I got this scent as part of the Unicorn Horn III pack about three years ago, as my first purchase from BPAL!, so this more recent review is on a three-year-old imp. First Sniff Impression: I remember liking this one better than Prince Lír, thinking I wouldn't mind if my husband wore it (of course he never did, but oh well), Very masculine cologne. Wet in Vial: I can definitely pick up on the leaves and herbs in this, but they're mellow and not overpowering or acerbic. What must be the chamomile sweetens it a little bit, though I can't pick out any raisins or caramel. It might be the age. Drying Down on Skin: Smells remarkably on skin like it does in the bottle. Not much of a difference on immediate drying, except maybe the slightly more bitter herbal scent becomes a touch more flowery. More mellow than Prince Lír in the same set. Dry on Skin: After a couple hours, grew much sweeter, perhaps the caramel finally coming out. Actually becomes a little too sweet for a man, in my opinion. Conclusion: This one would probably be good on a guy you want to smell. It reminds me of the "Dirty" perfume by LUSH, but without the mint. Kind of like a faked scent of grass. But it's unobtrusive and mildly pleasant, if you don't mind smelling like a wild field.

I LOVE the Dead Leaves scents in general, so I bought a decant of this when I stumbled across it. I admit going into it, I had zero idea what cardamom actually smells like. First Sniff Impression: Very fresh. Like a "fresh air" detergent smell. Wet in Vial: Dead Leaves are there for the greenery of the smell. I have no idea what sugared cardamom is supposed to smell like. (See, I told you.) Drying Down on Skin: This smells very light and airy. Somehow I thought it would smell spicy, and it's about as opposite from that as you can get. A touch aquatic, like a men's cologne. Reading now that on some people it goes on like "dryer sheets" and "old fashioned cologne." Totally getting that, and hoping it maybe changes as it dries. Dry on Skin: Nope. This is hyper, amped up men's "aquatic" cologne on me. I went and smelled dried cardamom we had, to see what I should be smelling here. The dried cardamom smelled sharp and fresh, almost like Pepsi. It gives me a slightly better idea of what's supposed to be going on here, but it's just nostril-piercing cologne. Unfortunately, I had to wash off my arm, even though that didn't really stop the smell all that much. I got almost zero Dead Leaves with this out of the vial, which was heartbreaking. Conclusion: I'm only going to keep this only because the bottle is so pretty, and I have an empty one to pour the decant into on its way to me. Otherwise I'd give it away. Bummer.

I bought a partial bottle of this from a member because I thought it sounded really nice and even more importantly: UNICORNS. First Sniff Impression: Oooh, sweet and fruity. It's like a Cosmo. Wet in Vial: I can get the red fruits, and a freshness probably from the gin and mint. Drying Down on Skin: It's definitely boozy, the raspberry liquor being the most dominant note so far. There's something else that's not raspberry or cranberry, so it's probably the mango. The freshness of the gin and mint keep this from getting sicky sweet. Dry on Skin: This got really, really sweet in bewteen drying down and a few hours later. Basically turned into raspberry lollipops. But after a few hours it did chill out to more of a raspberry tea smell, so the gin and mint came back. Conclusion: I wasn't a fan of the middle period of this where it was just too sweet and overpowering for a couple hours, so I'll be passing this imp on to my cousin who loves the Atomic Luau scents.

I bought a partial bottle of this from a member because I thought it sounded really nice and even more importantly: UNICORNS. First Sniff Impression: Soft and green, a little musky and a little bit of incense. Wet in Vial: In the bottle I get mostly the white incense and sandalwood. There's a little bit of the rose, too. No pear or vanilla. Drying Down on Skin: The pear pops right out when applied. It adds a green juiciness to the scent, which helps otherwise it might be a little bit too much incense. The green moss is also a bit more apparent and separated out from the sandalwood out of the bottle. Dry on Skin: Dry this is a bit more incense-y than I would like. It's a very "dry," kind of cologne incense that's not my favorite. I'd like there to be more of the pear or vanilla in it. It's still pretty, but the throw is a little overpowering. Fortunately after maybe 45 minutes or so, some of the incense throw recedes, and it's a little bit sweeter. But I still don't know how often I'd want to wear this. It might be better in a scent locket. --A couple hours later it's all sweetness. So maybe it's not so bad after all. Conclusion: Not sure if the incense-to-the-face is worth it, but it is nice a sweet mostly after. I'll probably re-test it at a future date and see how it is. But I'd keep it anyway cause of UNICORNS.

I'm really into the Mad Tea Party scents, which surprised me, so I definitely wanted to try this one since its description seemed really interesting. First Sniff Impression: Sweet and almost musky Wet in Vial: I think the pepper and ginger were giving me a musk undertone to the sweetness of the milk, honey, and vanilla. Interesting! An animalistic scent that's still light like a rabbit, without being all HEAVY MATING MUSK. Drying Down on Skin: Ooh, the crisp linen comes right out at you, straight through the lighter honey, milk, and vanilla. It might be mixed with the tea, since I'm not 100% positive what the black tea single note is. I think the ginger is sharpening up the linen too. It's a super fresh, green smell. Dry on Skin: Dry this is making me think of new things growing out of the ground. It's a very fresh, spring scent to me. As it continues to sit on my skin, some of the almost sharp, vibrant greenery fades and leaves behind that crisp linen smell. I liked it a little better when it was more herbal, but it's still very nice. I've just never been a huge fan of "linen" smells unless it's actually laundry that's been out on a line. Conclusion: Hours later the fresh linen smell faded and left behind a sweet, musky vanilla honey tea. It was nice in a way, but I feel like it's one of those scents that might make me kind of sick after a while. But I still enjoyed it, so I'll be keeping an imp of it in my collection.

I really wanted to try this one because the description just looked so totally whack! And you know, also for all those good Schrodinger's Cat memes out there. First Sniff Impression: Minty, green, and fruity. Wet in Vial: I can definitely get the lime, and the peppermint, along with the grapefruit and tangerine. Drying Down on Skin: The mint (and maybe the zdravetz, actually, because it's spicy) go straight up my nose, in a sort of zingy refreshing way. They super accent the more acidic citruses. After a few minutes, the citrus notes are getting a *little* like Lemon Pledge? But there's still that astringent zdravetz (and maybe the oakmoss?) that shoots right up your nose and clears everything out. The scent is a paradox indeed. I wouldn't think all those things together smelled nice, but somehow they do. Dry on Skin: I'm already feeling this scent would be so refreshing in summer. I always love washing with a mint body wash after running in the summer, so this feels a lot like that. It's like a super pleasant citrus wasabi for your sinuses. I still haven't gotten any of the chocolate, but maybe that's in the background for support, keeping the citrus from being too much. Conclusion: Unfortunately this didn't have much staying power at all. It was pretty much gone after a few hours. But given how strong and zingy the scent is, maybe that's a good thing. That way it would be easy to reapply if I wanted more, but let it fade if I was good. It was interesting enough that I definitely want to keep an imp of it!

I can't believe this scent only has three pages of reviews! I really like it, and it's about Rangers, for goodness sake! It's EAU de ARAGORN, lol. First Sniff Impression: Very piney. Christmas up in here. Wet in Vial: Pine first and foremost. Can't really pick out anything else yet. Drying Down on Skin: Definitely a blast of pine to start, then something more herbal like the patchouli or juniper. It's definitely a woodsy, herbal blend but I'm probably just not familiar enough yet with what each note smells like to pick any out. It's nice, though! Very light, natural woods smell. It sweetens as it dries. Dry on Skin: This continued to sweeten for a few hours afterwards. Turned into more of a long-needled white pine instead of a more Christmas-y fir pine. It has a medium lasting strength. Definitely fades, but it's still nice to keep sniffing throughout the day. Conclusion: A nice "woodsy" scent for when you don't want to smell like you dug up a hole in the forest floor and rolled around in it. Leans masculine, but sweetens enough to make it a solid unisex. Really fresh, nice, and light.

This was an imp for me, maybe one I purchased as part of a lot? I have too much BPAL now. I can't keep the origins of them straight First Sniff Impression: Yup, honeyed almonds. Wet in Vial: Sweet honey almonds, almost like they were honey-baked and crystallized, and there are some spices but I can't really pick them out. Drying Down on Skin: The honey and spices seem to blend well with the almond, so the almond isn't overpowering since I tend to find almond to be an almost sicky-sweet scent in general. Dry on Skin: The almonds fade pretty quickly in this. It's a tad perfume-y dry, but not too bad. It might just be that I'm not usually a huge fan of the Middle Eastern/African spices. The almond is still there, but it's in the background. If the honey is still there at all, it's now more mixed with the spices, maybe giving me that perfume smell I'm getting. Honestly as it continues to sit, it's getting a little powdery. Conclusion: This one started out nice, in a foody way, but turned pretty perfume-y on me. Not a huge fan of that. I think it might've been a skin chemistry thing. I'll be passing this on to my cousin, since I only tested it in the off chance I liked it before sending it to her anyway.

Beautiful, radiant daughter of Demeter... her loveliness was so exquisite that even Hell itself could not resist her. Pomegranate and rose. This scent came as a frimp for me. First Sniff Impression: Is there rose in this? Cause it smells like rose. Wet in Vial: Ok, there is rose in this. And I'm glad I knew there was pomegranate or else the sourness would have really turned me off. I don't want to be gross, but it was almost a vomit-acid sourness. But I assume that's just the high concentration of pomegranate in the vial. Drying Down on Skin: The sourness fades almost instantly, thank goodness, leaving a fruity rose behind. I actually wasn't expecting this to be so heavy on the rose, for some reason. So far this is a very classy, heavy, almost Victorian rose smell, and I kind of like it, but it's a lot. Wondering if the pomegranate will come out more and lighten the rose up a bit. Right now I feel like this is a better scent for Persephone's grandmother or something (and I feel like I should know who that would be, from mythology?) Dry on Skin: I was really expecting this to be pomegranate-heavy because of the myth and all but it's just all POW ROSES TO TEH FACE on me. I imagine this has a crazy throw, and probably not in a good way. I'll have to see how it is in a few hours, but I don't think this is one I'd be keen on keeping. Conclusion: This scent felt very unbalanced to me. I imagine Persephone as being a youthful young woman, associated with Spring and pomegranates, and this scent was so overpoweringly rose that it steamrolled over anything else that might've been there. It felt like a better scent for a courtesan than Persephone. I wonder if it might just be me. It seems so far like BPAL rose just amps up to a crazy level on my skin, which sucks! I love rose! But I didn't love this one, unfortunately.

I love bergamot and grapefruit, so I was looking forward to trying this imp out. First Sniff Impression: Kind of a watery, syrpy citrus Wet in Vial: I think the plum is giving me that "watery" note. At the moment it's not a very interesting scent to me. I checked another imp I have, and it seems consistent. Drying Down on Skin: For some reason, I thought this would be a "stronger" scent. It's VERY subdued, and I'm not a fan so far. The orris and plum are combining to a watery, sort of bland violet smell. I can't get the bergamot at all, and the grapefruit is barely if at all present. -- After a bit of dry down, at least some of the "watery" smell is going away. The plum is a little stronger, maybe enhanced by the black amber. I wish I could get more bergamot cause there's like none to me. Dry on Skin: This gets a little more interesting as it becomes fully dry. It's definitely a bit heavier (not heavy, but more like it has substance instead of being watery). The plum is richer, maybe because of the black amber, and it feels more like a plum fragrance than the faint smell of an actual plum, if that makes any sense. The grapefruit is a good support note in the background. It now smells like a really nice, non-chemical Bath and Body Works lotion, but with about a fifth of the throw something like that would have. It's nice, sweet, rich, and subtle. Conclusion: This one evolved enough into an attractive fruity floral that I'll keep an imp of, but I don't feel the need to hang on to the other two imps of it I have. I'm just not sure what exact occasion I would wear it for. Maybe applied a little more strongly than I usually do would help it to carry more.

This came to me as a frimp with a Lab order, so it was nice and fresh. First Sniff Impression: Strong cologne. Like the cheap stuff from the 80's. Wet in Vial: Just very cologne-y. Strong and almost alcoholic. Drying Down on Skin: It starts to mellow out immediately upon application, which I kind of expected since the scent in the vial was just so strong. Musky but slightly sweet, but still a bit too much on the cologne side for now. -- Aaaaaand now it's getting powdery on me. Cologne baby powder, here we come? Dry on Skin: Apparently I was such NOT A FAN of this that I didn't even bother finishing my notes until the next day. It just got really sweet and musky, like maybe a perfume a woman who's trying really hard to be "sexy" would wear, but she kind of bought it at a gas station, you know? It made me kind of sick to smell it. Conclusion: Not a fan. Maybe good for people who like heavy, musky, sicky-sweet stuff. Or, of course, there's the possibility that the scent just did not like ME, since it seems like I'm in the minority for disliking it. So, maybe just a skin chemistry thing? Either way, it was a no-go in the end.

This I had as an imp, though now I can't remember where I got it from. I probably should've made that a category in my notes. First Sniff Impression: Bright, fruity, incense Wet in Vial: This doesn't have much of a scent in the vial at all. There's a tiny bit of peach, and the rest of it is a mild incense that's barely there. Drying Down on Skin: Peach immediately, and the other scents blend together for a mild, incense smell. It's a nice, light one so far that would be ok to wear professionally. Maybe it's the heliotrope, but I'm getting an almost sweet pea note in it. Dry on Skin: This is a very, very delicate scent. It's the lightest bit of floral peach. Probably great for someone who doesn't want an overpowering scent. But it has almost no throw, and it just a little too plain for me. Conclusion: This was a nice, light, fresh scent, great for someone who normally finds florals overpowering. The peach was pleasant, but I barely got anything of the other notes (white musk, bergamot, oak moss) unless they were just support keeping it from getting too sweet. But I think I'll pass this imp on.

This I had as an imp, though now I can't remember where I got it from. I probably should've made that a category in my notes. First Sniff Impression: Green, minty, a little bit alcoholic (first thought was "nail polish") Wet in Vial: Notes seem fairly even. Greens and mint hit me first, but I can also pick out the lime and lavender easily. Drying Down on Skin: The alcoholic whiff disappears right away, fortunately. Mint is coming more to the forefront, lavender and lime are moving away. The mintiness makes it another one that brings to mind Lady Amalthea for me. However, the lack of white musk makes this one feel slightly "less cool." It's a warmer mint plus greenery. Dry on Skin: Dry, the floral aspects come out more, and the mint fades a bit, making the scent more balanced. However, I think I liked it better when the greens were more prominent. With the greens mostly faded away, the scent becomes a little sweeter than I was expecting. I wish it stayed in its drying down form for me much longer. I don't know where the lavender itself went. Apparently the lavender and lime had a baby together named ... limender. Which smells like honeysuckle, or something else very sweet I'm not big on. Conclusion: Er ... not sure. I don't think I like the final evolution of this, which is obviously the one that matters most since it lasts the longest. I might decide to pass it on. But I have to say, the sort of floral, almost sicky-sweetness of it seems somehow fitting for "Envy."

I was able to track down an imp of this to purchase from another member during "The Great Dorian Shortage of Early 2017." I'd always been curious about it, since I knew it was one of BPAL's absolutely most popular scents, but then of course when I finally wanted to try it, it's all out of stock on me! So I was super excited to get this imp! First Sniff Impression: Oh wow. YUSSS. THIS IS THE STUFF. Wet in Vial: Really sweet in an amazing way. Almost sweet and sour. Reminds me of some kind of candy, maybe a Bubblelicious gum flavor? Maybe the Peaches and Cream one from the early 90's I used to love? It smells like someone maybe mashed up a bunch of super sour blackberries, some vanilla, and tea leaves and stuck it in a jar. Drying Down on Skin: The sweet sourness (maybe tartness is a better adjective?) is really amazing and unique. I'd tried The Serpentine before this, and LOVED IT, so now smelling Dorian separately I can't definitely tell that it was the main component of The Serpentine that I loved. I feel somehow that this would almost be too sweet on most men, but I'm sure Dorian himself (and Puddin' of course ) could pull it off. I'd love to try it on my husband, though I don't know if he'd let me. Dry on Skin: This stayed really consistent throughout, which was awesome cause I love it. If I had to say anything changed, the vanilla came out slightly more, making it more on the sweet side and less balances with the sort of tartness it had. It had about a medium lasting strength. Wish it lasted longer, but if I eventually can track down a hair gloss to go with it, that will help. Conclusion: I absolutely adore this scent and now know why people were panicking when it went out of stock. This could definitely be a signature scent for me. I'm really glad it seems like it will be making a reappearance soon. Hopefully there will be enough for everyone to order several if they need to

I got this as an imp, I think maybe part of a lot I'd ordered? Anyway, it came randomly but it was one I'd really wanted to try for a little while. I've never been a huge fan of Alice in Wonderland (barring the stint I did at about four years old of watching the Disney cartoon every single night for a month, and then also loving that live-action musical that was on TV in the late 80's, that I mainly re-watched when I was older for the completely awesome 80's commercials my grandmother hadn't cut out--thank goodness--when she taped it off TV for me ...) but I'm finding myself really loving most of the Mad Tea Party scents. First Sniff Impression: Fruity, incense tea. Unisex leaning toward masculine. Wet in Vial: The grapefruit is really nice, but there's enough other scents going on to keep it in the background. It's a sort of floral, citrus-y, herbal mix. It's really pleasant. Drying Down on Skin: The grapefruit--with I think the red currant, cause it's not just pure citrus--come right out. But the underlying musk and lavender are really interesting. Not so overtly masculine now, it would be a really nice unisex scent. Dry on Skin: Dry this has just all blended together so well. The grapefruit seems happy to "play nicely" with the others, leaving a sort of sweet green blend. It's fruity, herbal, floral, and tea-ish all at once without being able to pick one any one specific scent. I'd love to smell this one a guy. Conclusion: This scent finished as a sort of spiced fruit tea. It also had very good lasting strength. I could still smell it on my wrist when I woke up the next morning, after applying in the evening. I don't like it enough to buy a big bottle, but I definitely want to keep an imp around.